2024, Vol., No.51

Korean Review of French History 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.67

pISSN : 1229-702X
https://journal.kci.go.kr/krfh

The purpose of this study is to analyze the long version of Ars moriendi, which were produced throughout Europe in the 15th century under the influence of Jean Gerson, Chancellor of the University of Paris. In addition, through this, I examine the historical significance of the comfort and advice that this document attempted to convey to Europeans of the late Middle Ages who were in a state of material and spiritual crisis. Furthermore, I attempt to examine the anthropological significance of its message, as death is an unavoidable fate for finite human beings.

The perception of crows exhibits considerable diversity across different historical periods, reflecting profound extremes of reverence and aversion. This paper seeks to elucidate these divergent attitudes by examining ancient mythology, medieval Christian doctrines, the research of naturalists in the 16th and 18th centuries, and the perspectives of Romanticists and peasants in the 19th century. In antiquity, crows were esteemed for their intelligence and prophetic abilities, often depicted in association with deities. However, during the Middle Ages, under the influence of Christian ideology, crows came to be regarded as symbols of paganism and were subject to persecution. By the end of the medieval period, their scavenging habits led to their classification as harbingers of misfortune. Naturalist studies in the 16th and 18th centuries laid the groundwork for a more scientific understanding of crows, moving beyond superstitions. In the 19th century, Romanticists reinterpreted the crow’s melancholic demeanor as a virtue. Nevertheless, the negative connotations of crows have persisted, particularly in rural traditions influenced by medieval beliefs. Consequently, a historical examination of crows clarifies the characteristics of each era.

The War of the Camisards was an uprising in the early 18th century by huguenots in the Cévennes for religious freedom against the oppression of Louis XIV. This war differs from other popular uprisings or religious wars in French history in that its leaders came from the common people such as peasants, artisans, and craftsmen rather than the protestant nobility, the elite of Cévennes. Notable among these was Jean Cavalier, a former baker. Unlike the other Camisards who knew how to hold guns but not pens he wrote his own memoir. According to his memoir, he incessantly tried to stand against the government of Louis XIV, sometimes through armed struggle and sometimes through peace negotiations, in order to gain religious freedom. However, all of his attempts ended in failure, and he spent the rest of his life in exile. His thwarted dreams have since become a factor in blurring his identity as a leader in the War of Camisards, along with later evaluation that he betrayed the beliefs of the huguenot.