Rebellion, Riots, and 'Collective Rage'

History of Peasant Revolts
Berce, Yves-Marie
Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1986

By Cody Walker

June 21, 2009

Berce’s book, translated from the French Histoire des Croquants, is about the history of the peasant revolts in France during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Berce shows the lives of all the social classes during outbursts of "collective rage" in southwestern France. Berce shows the common patterns and characteristics of the rebellions and the solidarity of the communities involved. Berces argues that rebellions were the people’s way of negotiating with the French monarchy.

Berce begins by looking at the communes in France during the seventeenth century. Berce describes these as local communities, both rural and city. The first part of this work deals with election of authorities and communal emblems such as the consular livery and town bells. Berce not only deals with the immense psychological importance these institutions had on the people, but also continues with an explanation of the sources of communal power in the areas of politics, judicial, fiscal, and security affairs. Combined with the increase in taxes and new prohibitions forbidding freedoms once enjoyed by rural communities, these developments set the stage for the rebellions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Berce recounts the "excitements of the people." These consisted of fairs, religious festivals, taverns, and celebrations for the royal family. Berce states that the importance of these rituals to the people is indicative of the period. This era is characterized by intense social activity and a shared collective consciousness, which is also conducive to social violence. Berce states that the communes, which rioted collectively, also were punished collectively with fines or destruction of certain public works, such as the town wall. Berce describes the "urban ecology" of the communes. He then considers the people who lived under the radar of the communes, called "the people of the high roads," and how they were affected by the structure of the communes.

Next, Berce focuses on the uprisings of the Croquants between 1593 and 1595, led by a popular army in the areas of Limousin and Perigord. He states that this rising in the countryside was not completely popular with those in the rest of society, though it is often thought that a broad consensus was found among the population in France. Berce also considers the raising of the Tard Avises and their connection to the assemblies of the Third Estate. Berce then discusses the end of the assemblies and the connection between the peasant uprising and the civil wars of the sixteenth century. He states that this insurrection served as the prototype for all of the revolts that followed.

The third section of this book is preceded by a short historical narrative to set the scene for Berce's discussion of the rising of the communes of Perigord in 1637-1641, the largest peasant revolt in French history. This rebellion began over unrest concerning special taxes which paid for army rations. This, along with tax increases, caused the flare-up of these revolts in Perigord. Berce takes much care in detailing the communes involved and their aims in resistance to the crown. For example, the commune in Quercy was interested in the abolition of a new tax system called the election. This resulted in the destruction of property of three local businessmen who had "taken advantage of the new system to purchase offices." (p 139)

Berce also gives attention to the excellent captains of the Croquant resistance, such as Pierre Greletty and Marquis d' Aubeterre. By considering these captains in a chronological order, Berce provides an expansive look at the Croquant uprisings.

Section four of Berce’s work deals with different types of riots in the seventeenth century, taking care to consider their causes and purpose. Berce states that these riots conform to patterns and repeated features, which he details thoroughly. He states that four causes have been found for the riots of the seventeenth century: the price of bread, quartering of troops, collection of taxes, and the "farming out" of taxes. (p 169) Berce also enumerates types of violence these riots caused and the leaders involved. Berce states that these riots indicate that an "old tradition of resistance" was alive and well, despite tapering off as time progressed. Concluding this section, Berce states that though the bread riots were the least dangerous, they were the riots that stayed the longest during the seventeenth century. Riots concerning the quartering of troops and those provoked by tax farmers and collectors were shorter due to the government’s use of force to "secure the consent of the populace to its taxes." (p 242)

The final section of this text deals with the "rebel imagination" found in southwestern France. Berce provides an explanation of documents that influenced the popular consciousness on topics such as the denunciation of taxes. This aids the reader in understanding the attitude of the peasants who took part in the riots of the seventeenth century. Berce uses the works of prominent essayists and historians of the seventeenth century to show the people’s belief in the evils of taxes. This includes popular belief that the king was innocent of raising taxes and was being duped by his financial ministers. "They (these mythologies) were reassuring when they depicted the king as being the victim of deceit and robbery and thereby affirmed the guiltlessness of the monarchy on which the state was based." (p 248)

To complete his book, Berce describes myths concerning the legitimacy of rebellion, and the views of contemporaries who witnessed the rebellions in France. Contemporaries are seen as having viewed these rebellions in an indifferent manner. Using accounts from the press, Berce shows how many rebellions were not considered worthy enough of coverage.

This work is very detailed. Berce focuses on the peasant revolts within southwestern France in the seventeenth century. There is no question about the research that went into this work, which is clear. Students of French history could benefit from a listing of the sources used. Berce fundamentally takes two rebellions, and describes them in order to reconstruct the motivations, character, and effects of peasant revolts in general. Berce describes revolts as reactionary movements of community solidarity, while at times becoming redundant on the themes involved.