They burned books in Amiens. . . and people, too.

An otherwise pioneering study of the Book in the life of 16th century inhabitants of Amiens published in 1971 by the late Albert Labarre, longtime conservator at the main public library in Amiens, fails in one important respect to do justice to its subject.

Labarre exhaustively examined hundreds of inventories after death in Amiens households between 1503 and 1576 to determine what books people of various classes owned. [see book cover illustration] What is missing from the study was serious attention to the rise of Protestantism and to the ways in which, despite efforts by judges, church leaders, and government officials to suppress them, books functioned to help create and sustain a new religious movement with descendants ultimately spread all over the globe.

Here are some subjects which deserve additional attention as a complement to Labarre’s study:

The influence of the learned nobleman Louis Berquin, author and translator of Erasmus and Luther into French, resident in Picardy in the 1520s. His books were burned by order of the Parlement of Paris on several occasions, and he himself was condemned by the Parlement to be burned at the stake in Paris on April 17, 1529 after he refused to recant.

The extensive library of Jean Morand, the high placed Catholic churchman, who first preached Protestant propositions in Amiens 1533. Morand was arrested, tried, pressured to abjure and his books and manuscripts were burned -- 6 books and 5 mansucripts on October 7, 1534 in Paris and 48 books and 5 manuscripts on October 20, 1534 in Amiens. Before they were burned, they were catalogued and the list has been preserved. We also have a record of many of the purported statements from his controversial sermons.
In the 1540s mass roundups of Protestant suspects occurred, and the role of books was scrutinized by the Catholic judges of the Parlement of Paris and the theologians of the Sorbonne.
Anthoine Bailly, from Amiens, saw his books burned in Amiens along with his case materials. Protestant works translated into French that were being offered by the book dealer Jacques Chevalier in the Amiens area were confiscated by the authorities and burned in Paris. The Parisian publishers who had produced these editions were ordered to bring their stock to the authorities to be burned.
At least three individuals from the Amiens district were sentenced by the Parlement of Paris to be burned at the stake during the 1540s: Adam le Maistre (1 November 1544), Matthieu Glenard (21 March 1549), Jehan Dessars (21 March 1549).
In 1560, as Calvin’s Geneva became the seed ground of French Protestantism, a book handler froim Geneva was arrested in Amiens before escaping from the Belfry in his nightshirt, and two Protestant brothers from Amiens who had moved to Geneva in the 1550s returned to the city perhaps repeatedly with supplies of books.
In June 1562, just after the Catholics took control of the Amiens city council, the authorities ordered a city-wide search for Protestant books involving many officials and sergeants probably over a number of days. The books they found were burned en masse. The general censorship and black-listing of Protestant books as well as the bonfire of 1562 would have materially affected the outcome of Labarre’s study of book possession especially among the cohorts of people who were inventoried between 1562-1576.

Louis de Berquin

Luther's De Votis Monasticis (On Monastic Vows) shown here in a Latin imprint from Basel in 1522 was one of the works critical of traditional religion that Louis de Berquin translated into French. No copies of Berquin’s translation appear to have survived.

Before Jean Morand, there was an erudite nobleman and lawyer by the name of Louis de Berquin (b. ca 1490?), whose outspoken attacks on Catholic orthodoxies caused him to be imprisoned and threatened with execution a number of times and his books to be burned by decision of the Parlement of Paris. He translated works by Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus from Latin into French and carried on a significant correspondence with Erasmus. He also produced a number of original works which have not survived.

His connection to Amiens and its region is somewhat indefinite. A bygone historian of Amiens, Father Daire, asserts that Berquin preached in Amiens, but, as he was not a clergyman, and his sojourn there is not otherwise documented, this assertion seems questionable. On the other hand, Berquin seems definitely to have been present in the region in 1526 and it was the complaints of the Bishop of Amiens about him that led to to his arrest around that time. According to Albert Labarre, his books were confiscated at the Château of Rambures near Abbeville in Picardy where he was staying when he was arrested. After he refused to recant, Berquin was burned at the stake in the Place de Grève in Paris on April 17, 1529. A document from the Criminal Registers of the Parlement of Paris in 1530 shows that his opinions and his death were influential particularly around Amiens and Abbeville where certain noblewomen were reported to be advocating heretical notions and asserting that Berquin had died a “martyr” “like St. Larence.” (see Rumblings of Dissent in the Countryside).

Château of Rambures, Picardy, where Berquin was arrested

The Books and Manuscripts of Jean Morand

Canon of the Cathedral Chapter

Inventory of the books of Jean Morand which have been ordered to be burned in this city of Amiens

Secundum alphabetum

A IIe , ung livre couvert de vert, Johannis Hus.

Ung aultre merqué B IIe Vesselli et Colampadii

Ung petit livre merque C IIe, Branchii in Ecclesiastem.

Ung grand livre merque D IIe de Potestate pape.

Ung petit livre merque F IIe Vivo discedentium.

Ung livre merque H II, Bucherii in Matheum

Ung livre merque J IIe, Collampadii in Danielem

Ung livre merque K IIe Martini Bucherii in Johannem.

Ung livre merque L IIe Andree Altameri

Ung livre merque M IIe Melanthonis et Lutheri ad Romanos.

Ung livre merque N IIe Johannis Branchii (not Martini?) in Johannem

Ung livre merque O IIe Johannis Agricole in Lucam

Ung petit livre merque Q IIe, Matini Cellarii

Ung livre merque R IIE Lutherii in allegoria psalmorum

Ung livre merque S IIe, Annotatines in Detronomium, la ou le nom de l’auteur est dechire.

Ung livre merque T IIe Vellani De libero arbitrio, et Branchii de Republica

Ung livre merque V IIé Tropi in sacra

Ung livre merque par dessus X IIe, Quingentorum articulorum Martini Lutheri

Ung livre. merque Z IIe Melanthonis de Legibus

Ung livre merque X IIe nomme Psalterium pellicani

Ung livre merque 9 IIe, Urbani Regii de doctrina nova, et Ferrago Francisci Lamberti.

Declaration des livres….Jean Morand, lesquelz sont ordonnez estre brûlés en ceste ville d’Amiens

Primes, ung grant livre couvert de cuir rouge : Martini Lutheri in Psalmos, merqué par dessus A

Item ung petit livrea marqué B qui est Branchii et Martini Lutheri

Ung aultre petit livre, qui est Lutheri in Genesim, Zingli (sic) in Exodium merqué C

Ung autre Pomerani in Psalmos, merqué D

Ung aultre merque E, Martini Lutheri et institutione pro conjugio sacerdotali.

Item, /ung autre merqué F, Zinglii in Genesim.

Ung aultre petit livre merque G, Branchii in Job.

Ung aultre Bartholomei Vostanni Tropi Scripture, merque H

Ung grand livre Zingli in Prophetas, merque J

Ung grand livre merque K, Publicam in librum Josue.

Ung petit livre merque M, Collampadii in Osiam.

Ung petit livre merque N, Martini Brancheri in Matheum

Un petit livre, Melantonis in Genesim, merque P.

Ung petit livre, merque V, Martini Bucherii in Epistolam ad Epheseos, et Melanthonis ad Collocenses.

Ung autre merque X, Melantonis super Proverbia.

Ung autre merque Z Martini Lutheri, de Sacramento Altaris

Item, ung aultre merque X, Pomerani, in Deuteronomium.

Ung merque 9, Pomeranim in Epistolam ad Romanos.

Tertium alphabetum

Ung livre Johannes Agricole de Epistola ad Tithon , merque G IIIe/

Ung livre merque J IIIe Zinglii de Eucharistia.

Ung livre merque O IIIe, escript dudit Morand.

Ung livre merque S IIIe escript dudit Morand

Ung livre merque T IIIe esrcipt dudit Morand

Ung livre merque V IIIe escript dudit Morand

Ung livre merque Y IIIe escript dudit Morand

Ung livre Wandalmi Repigii. Quod expedit magis audire verbum Dei uam missam, merque Z IIIe.

Ung sacq cotte & IIIe, auquel sont plusieurs letters missives et apiers escriptz de la main dudit Moran merquees de ces motz de ces motz : Pater noster qui es in celis. Ung livre merque par dessus de la latter de 9 IIIe, Policani in Rut et Frederici Nausee in communes Evangeliorum locus.

Morand’s Books and Manuscripts burned in Paris

Livre imprime Propositio ecciana and Ennarationes epistolarum et evangeliorum quas postillas vocant domini Martini Lutheri marque A IIIe.

Livre imprime D. Erasmi Rotherodani Ad collations Titelmani opus rescens marquee D IIIe

Livre imprime Pro inscriptione ejusdam epistole Martini Lutheri epistola, etc.

marque F IIIe

Petit livre imprime De vera libertate evangelica sub duodecim assertionum et viginti

errorum positionibus eilquata lucubratio, etc. marquee H IIIe.

Livre imprime Ad victoriam super cerva matutina psalmus David, etc marquee M IIIe

Livre imprime Cristus semel pro peccatis nostris mortuus est Justus pro injustis et

De Christi supllicio dicturus, etc. marquee N IIIe

In epistolam D. Petri priorem argumentum…Simon, fratrer Andree, etc. quottatus P IIIe

Legis antique quadripertito fiebat transgressio, etc. …Alias vero non est omnia esse de lege nature que in hiis scribuntur, etc….quottatus Q IIIe

Genesis ca, h….Adam vixit, etc. quottatus R IIIe

Memor esto verbi tui servo tuo. in quo michi etc….Malchus rex consilii vel princeps festinator, etc., quottatus X IIIe

Some of Jean Morand’s books burned in 1534

Ung Autre merque Z Martini Lutheri, de Sacramento Eucharistie

Ung Livre merque K IIe Martini Bucherii in Johannem [Pub. Strasbourg 1528]

Ung merque 9, Pomeranii in Epistolam ad Romanos [pub. Haganoe/Haguenau 1527]

Ung autre merque F, Zinglii in Genesim [pub. Tiguri 1527]

Petit livre imprime De vera liberate evangelica sub duodecim assertionum et viginti errorum positionibus eilquata lucubration, etc. marquee H IIIe. [pub. Tubingen 1525]

Ung Livre merque T IIe Vellani De libero arbitrio, et branchii de republica [pub. Basel 1518]

Ung Livre merque 9 IIe, Urbani Regii de doctrina nova, et Ferrago Francisci Lamberti

Ung livre merque J IIIe Zinglii de Eucharistia [pub. Tiguri/Zurich 1525]

Ung livre Vandalmi Repigii. Quod expedit magis audire verbum Dei quam missam, merque Z IIIe.

Livre imprime Propositio ecciana and Ennarationes epistolarum et evangeliorum quas postillas vocant domini Martini Lutheri marque A IIIe. [pub. Wittenberg 1521]

Ung grand Livre merque D IIe de Potestate Pape

Texts condemned by the Parlement of Paris and ordered to be burned in the 1540s

The Fountain of Life

Published in French in Lyon in 1549.

Read more about Jean Warocquier’s interrogation for possession of this text before the Parlement of Paris on the Translations page.

Freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther

Translated into French. Originally published in Latin.

The Psalms translated by Clement Marot

One of the Colloquies of Erasmus

Translated from Latin into French by Clement Marot

A Genevan Book Handler Escapes from an Amiens Prison

7 August 1560

Ordinance of the City of Amiens

“Anyone who knows the whereabouts of a man named Adrien Sanson… living in Geneva, purveyor of false books and false doctrines who, night just past, escaped from the prisons of the Belfry, dressed only in his nightshirt, to which prisons he had been confined for the crime of heresy; a man of medium height, black hair, a small beard, and a broad face, about 32 years of age; such person or persons should immediately come forward, while ensuring that the said Adrien is safely in custody, in which case a reward of 10 écus soleil will be forthcoming from the treasury. However, if it should come to light that any person has hidden or concealed him, or in any way assisted in rescuing him, that person will be punished with the same punishment that the said Adrien merited for having fostered and espoused his crime of heresy.”

Translation: David Rosenberg

Confiscation and burning of “censored and erroneous books”

June 1562

The account books of the city record payments to the sergeants who rounded up books from Protestant homes.

The deliberations of the City Council contain a notice of payment made to the city executioner for burning the books.