The Huguenot Chronicles by Paul C.R. Monk
Dramatic events following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes
France, 1685. Louis XIV has brazenly revoked his grandfather Henry IV’s treaty, which had granted Protestants substantial residential and religious rights. Now the King is determined to unite the nation in one Church – by force, if necessary. A period of persecution of Huguenots commences.
Will the wealthy Delpech family recant their faith and convert to Catholicism? Never! But their attempts at evading the brutal dragoons fail. Banished as a slave, Jacob endures a perilous transatlantic crossing, ending in the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. Jeanne sees no alternative than to entrust her sister with the care of eleven-year-old Elizabeth, Paul, seven, two-year-old Louise and baby Isabelle, and risk the dangerous journey to Geneva and safety.
Unexpected political developments in Europe. Will William of Orange conquer his wife’s Catholic father, King James II, and become the new King of England? If he does, would this offer the family Delpech the possibility of a peaceful new life together, after so many years of separation?
Jeanne is struggling to survive in freezing Switzerland. Should she risk the dangerous journey to England? What about her children? Jacob, having managed to escape from the cruel Caribbean pirates, has been asked to join other Huguenot settlers founding New Rochelle outside the burgeoning city of New York. Could his family somehow join him there? Or should he try for a risky passage back across the Atlantic? What if he gets caught up in the war? Would his pacifist convictions allow him to fight for his faith, if necessary?
Based on true events, this dramatic trilogy is both an extremely well-researched, sobering history lesson and a vivid study of the character and motives of sincere believers encountering the brutal realities of a world ravaged by religious fanaticism and callous profiteering.
Before launching into this epic story, it is advisable to read the short prequel, available as a free novella or audiobook, which introduces the family and sets the scene.
The books are also available separately: Merchants of Virtue, Voyage of Malice, Land of Hope. A fourth book, Call of Freedom, is due to be published in May 2024.