Merle d'Aubigné Books: A Guide to His Reformation Histories
J. H. Merle d'Aubigné (1794–1872) wrote two great histories of the Reformation. The first, the History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, tells the story of Luther and the early Reformers in Germany and Switzerland. The second, the History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, follows Calvin and Geneva and then the spread of the gospel through England, Scotland, France, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Italy and Spain. TheWay Library has ten volumes, all free to read: the first two of the Luther history and all eight of the Calvin history. For his life story, see who was Merle d'Aubigné.
This guide explains what each volume covers, which copies are incomplete, and where to start.
Where to start
Start with Volume 1 of the Time of Calvin and read the series in order. It's complete, it opens with d'Aubigné's case that true liberty rests on the Word of God, and it ends with the conversion of the young John Calvin. The eight Calvin volumes form one long story, and each picks up where the last left off.
If you'd rather read one volume on its own, choose by subject:
- Calvin's arrival in Geneva and the death of Tyndale: Volume 5.
- The English Reformation under Henry VIII: Volumes 4, 5 and 8.
- The Scottish martyrs before Knox: Volume 6.
- Calvin's return to Geneva and his preaching: Volume 7.
- Luther: the two volumes of the History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, keeping in mind the gaps described below.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For more, see our collection of Merle d'Aubigné quotes.
Two Luther volumes with missing chapters
D'Aubigné's first history ran to five volumes, published in French from 1835 to 1853 and read everywhere in English. TheWay Library has the first two, in an English translation. Both were restored from old scans that are badly incomplete, and you should know that before you begin.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Volume 1
D'Aubigné's long preface sets out his conviction that God rules history and that the Reformation was a revival sent by God. The early chapters show the medieval church and the forerunners of reform: the Waldenses, Wycliffe and Huss, and the revival of learning under Erasmus. The story then turns to Luther: Staupitz's counsel to the troubled monk, Tetzel's sale of indulgences, the summons to Rome and the meeting at Augsburg in 1518.
This copy is incomplete and out of order. Many chapters are missing, including Luther's birth, schooling and early years in the monastery, and most of Books III and IV. Chapters from different books share headings and appear out of sequence, and a long block of footnotes sits at the end. The preface is complete and well worth reading on its own.
To do great things by imperceptible means is the law of God.
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Vol. 1, Preface
History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century, Volume 2
Books Five to Eight: the Leipzig debate of 1519 between Eck and Luther, Luther's appeal to the German nobility, the burning of the papal bull in 1520, Luther's ride to the Diet of Worms in 1521, and the beginnings of the Swiss Reformation under Zwingli at Einsiedeln and Zurich.
This copy is also incomplete. Many chapters of each book are missing. Among them are the chapters on the hearing before the emperor at Worms. What survives is still vivid, especially the road to Worms. Read Volume 2.
History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin
D'Aubigné began this second history in the 1860s and was still writing it when he died in 1872. The last three volumes were published after his death. It moves back and forth between Geneva and the rest of Europe, so each volume usually has two parts.
Volume 1: Geneva's fight for liberty, and Calvin's conversion
Most of the volume tells how Geneva resisted the Duke of Savoy and its bishop from 1513 to 1526, through patriots such as Philibert Berthelier, who died "the martyr of liberty," and Bonivard. The last part moves to France: Margaret of Navarre sheltering evangelicals, Louis de Berquin, and Calvin's early studies and conversion. Read Volume 1.
Liberty has never been firmly established except among a people where the Word of God reigns.
History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 1, Berthelier and the Youth of Geneva
Volume 2: Calvin the student, and the French court
Calvin studies law at Orleans and Bourges and begins quietly to teach the gospel in Paris. Around him: the martyrdom of Berquin, Margaret of Navarre and her Mirror of the Sinful Soul, the gospel preached at the Louvre in 1533 and the rector's address to the University of Paris. The later chapters return to Geneva's first steps toward reform. Read Volume 2.
Volume 3: Calvin in flight, and Farel in Geneva
Calvin as a fugitive in France, 1533 to 1535: secret meetings at Poitiers, the Affair of the Placards in Paris, the burnings that followed, and the writing of the Institutes at Basle. The second book tells how Farel and the schoolmaster Froment brought the gospel into Geneva, through the sermon at the Molard on New Year's Day 1533 and the first Lord's Supper. Read Volume 3.
Volume 4: Henry VIII, the English martyrs, and Italy
England from Wolsey's fall to the break with Rome in 1534. D'Aubigné carefully separates the king's political reformation from the gospel reformation of Tyndale, Latimer, Bilney and Fryth, and tells the martyrdoms of Bilney and Fryth. Then Geneva, where the bishop flees and the Reformed worship takes hold, and finally the spread of the gospel in Italy. Read Volume 4.
Volume 5: Tyndale's death and Calvin's arrival in Geneva
The English chapters run from 1534 to 1536: the deaths of Fisher and More, the suppression of the monasteries, the fall of Anne Boleyn and the martyrdom of William Tyndale. The Genevan chapters tell of the great public disputation of 1535, the end of the Mass in the city, and the people's vow to live by the gospel. The volume closes with Calvin at Ferrara and his arrival in Geneva in 1536. If you read only one volume, make it this one. Read Volume 5.
As constraint was not applied outwardly, truth acted all the more inwardly.
History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 5, The People of Geneva Desire to Live According to the Gospel
Volume 6: Scotland, and Calvin's banishment
Published after d'Aubigné's death. The first book is the early Reformation in Scotland: Patrick Hamilton's martyrdom in 1528, Alesius, and the ministry and martyrdom of George Wishart in 1546. The second returns to Geneva and Vaud from 1536 to 1540: the disputation at Lausanne, the banishment of Calvin and Farel in 1538, Calvin's years in Strasbourg and his reply to Cardinal Sadoleto.
A note on this copy: the chapter numbering skips in places, and some chapters may be missing or run together with their neighbors. Several headings have no titles. The story is still easy to follow. Read Volume 6.
Volume 7: Calvin's return, and the Reformation in Northern and Eastern Europe
Calvin is recalled to Geneva in 1541, writes the Ecclesiastical Ordinances and preaches almost every day. Then d'Aubigné widens the view: the Reformation in Denmark and Sweden, in Hungary under the shadow of the Turks, in Bohemia and Poland, and in the Netherlands, ending with the martyrs of Louvain. Read Volume 7.
Volume 8: Spain, the last years of Henry VIII, and the death of Luther
The final volume. It tells of the gospel's rise and suppression in Spain, including Francisco de Enzinas presenting Charles V with his Spanish New Testament. It then returns to England in the 1540s: the fall of Thomas Cromwell, Catherine Parr and the last martyrs of Henry's reign. A short closing section describes Luther's death at Eisleben in 1546. Read Volume 8.
How to read d'Aubigné
These are long books, but they're stories, not textbooks. Each chapter is a scene, often headed with a date, and many can be read on their own. D'Aubigné writes openly from the Protestant side and sees the hand of God in what he tells. Read him for the people: the martyrs, the preachers, the queens and the ordinary believers who heard the gospel and wouldn't let it go.
Begin with Volume 1 of the Time of Calvin, or go straight to Volume 5 for the most dramatic year of the story. All ten volumes are on the Merle d'Aubigné author page.