Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/308

WALDENSES. 234 WALDENSES. nacular. He divided his property with his wife, placed his two daughters iu the monaster}' of Font^vrault, and gave all his money to the poor. Followers soon Hocked to him, and were known sometimes by his name, sometimes as the 'Poor Men of Lyons.' Later some of them asserted that their Church had always been independent of the Eoman Catholic Church, and that their origin dated from the persecutions of the third cen- tury. This idea is now entirely aljandoned. Yaldo and his followers had no intention of sepa- rating from the Church, but their fundamental principles, that, first, all Christians, lay or cler- ical, ought freely to interpret the Scriptures, and second, that laymen had a right to teach, brought them under the condemnation of the Church. The Archbishop of L.yons forbade them to teach, and they appealed to the Pope. They were convicted of error at the Lateran Council in 1179. Then they appealed for permission to found an order, but this was denied, as the Pope objected to their dress and to the close association of the two sexes in their journeys. As they continued their preaching, they were anathematized by the Coun- cil of Verona in 1184, and again at Narbonne in 1190. Many fled from Lyons into DauphiniS and Piedmont. Their missionaries traveled far and wide making converts. They still considered themselves members of the Church, but preached against the vices of the clergy and held the be- lief that only a holy priest could administer the sacraments. Gradually the community took form. It consisted really of two parts: the 'fra- ternity' proper, made up of men and women who had taken the three monastic vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and for whom it was not lawful to lie, to take an oath, or to shed blood; and, second, 'the faithful,' who followed the teach- ings of Waldo liut were not obliged to take the vows. It is impossible now to determine exactly their organization, as it ditTered from place to place; but they had bishops, priests, and deacons. In the beginning their beliefs were nearly the same as those held by the orthodox Christians of the time. The councils and inquisitors frequently dis- tinguished between heretics and the followers of Waldo. Nevertheless they suffered with the Albigenses, from whom they differed widelj' in doctrine, in the Albigensian crusade. (See Al- bigenses.) As a result few were left in France. Their headquarters in the thirteenth century were in the U])per valleys of Piedmont. There they were known as the 'Poor of Piedmont.' 'the Leo- nisti,' from their origin at Lyons, or as the 'In- sabates,' fr<mi the shoes fashioned like sandals which they wore. Many other names were given to them at difl'erent times and in diflerent places, of which the most familiar is the French name Vaudois. In Piedmont they suffered persecution in 1220. In 12.31 Pope Gregory IX. exconnnuni- cated them, but they increased steadily in num- bers. They suffered much from the Inquisition in many parts of Europe, liut in Piedmont the steep valleys and their obscurity* gave them .a relative security. In the foirteenth and fifteenth cen- turies many went to Calabria under the pro- tection of the Neapolitan ruler, and established several colonies. In the fourteenth centiry there were persecutions in Piedmont, but it is not ab- solutely certain that the victims were mainly Waldenses. At this time the obscurity of the Waldenses in Piedmont makes it difficult to trace their history. Later the followers of John Huss complained bitterly of their lukewarmness, but the school of 'Barbes,' as their priests were called, continued to exist. The extent of their learning has probably been exaggerated, yet there are references to alden- sian doctors of medicine who seem to have been umch sought for. In going about the country the Barbes adopted disguises, usually as mer- chants, which made them inconspicuous. In the first stage of the movement learned in- quisitors bore almost uniform testimony to their excellent moral lives; but in 1487 attention was again directed especially to them bj' Innocent VIII., who preached a crusade against them as heretics. The Waldenses iu Piedmont made a heroic resistance, but iu vain. The excessive cruelty of the Imiuisitors led Louis XI 1. of France, the ruler of part of Piedmont, to inter- pose, and he obtained from Pope Alexander VI. a bull absolving the Waldenses. In 15.32 and 1533 the- joined the reform party. This brought on them a fresh persecution by the Inquisition. In 1545 the Parliament of Aix ordered lords of lands on which the Waldenses lived to oblige their vassals to conform to the Established Church or to leave their lands. As they refused to conform, frightful massacres took place at Cabri&res and ilerindol. These horrors brought about a re- action, and one of the chief persecutors was con- demned to death in 1557. For some time pacific means were employed to convert them, but with- out success. Later they were forbidden to open schools, condemned to exile and violence, and massacres followed. In 1655 the Waldenses in Piedmont were ordered to conform to the Catho- lic faith within twenty days under penalty of death and confiscation of their property. As they remained firm, persistent attacks were made upon them, and these attacks were met by a valiant but useless defense. This persecution fortunately lasted for only a short time, as Mithin a few months the Duke of Savoy by the Treaty of Pignerol allowed them to follow their religious beliefs in the upper valleys of his dominions. Some Waldenses had returned to France, or else some persons there had been con- verted to this faith. These enjoyed relative relig- ious imnumity until the revocation of the Edict of Xantes in IfiSS. After that the decree went forth that their churches should be destroyed and that their ministers should bebanished. At about the same period persecutions began again in Piednu)nt. The Waldenses made a stubborn resistance, but 12,000 men. women, and cliildren were taken prisoners. These were released within a few months, largely through the intervention of the Swiss cantons, and were exiled. Many of them went to Switzerland as a land of refuge. In 1G89 they resolved to make an attempt to re- conquer their own valley homes in Piedmont. At first they were successful, but a great force was sent against them and their position seemed desperate. The political issues of F,uro])e led to a coalition against Louis XTV. in IfiOO, and their aid was sought to <lefend the frontiers of Pied- mont against his troops. They received in com- pensation official permission to return to their villages in 1004. The peace of 1007 was dis- astrois to them, as in 1008 they were ordered to go into exile. IBecause of the character of their