Editing French Wars of Religion (section)

=== Introduction of Reformation ideas ===
[[Renaissance humanism]] began during the 14th century in Italy and arrived in France in the early 16th, coinciding with the rise of [[Protestantism in France]]. The movement emphasised the importance of ''[[ad fontes]]'', or study of original sources, and initially focused on the reconstruction of secular [[Koine Greek|Greek]] and [[Latin]] texts. It later expanded into the reading, study and translation of works by the [[Church Fathers]] and the [[New Testament]], with a view to religious renewal and reform.{{Sfn|McGrath|1995|pp=39–43}} Humanist scholars argued [[exegesis|interpretation]] of the [[Bible]] required an ability to read the New Testament and [[Old Testament]]s in the original Greek and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], rather than relying on the 4th century Latin translation known as the "[[Vulgate]] Bible".{{Sfn|McGrath|1995|pp=122–124}}

In 1495, the Venetian [[Aldus Manutius]] began using the newly invented printing press to produce small, inexpensive, pocket editions of Greek, Latin, and vernacular literature, making knowledge in all disciplines available for the first time to a wide audience.{{Sfn|Spickard|Cragg|2005|pp= 158–160}} Cheap pamphlets and broadsides allowed theological and religious ideas to be disseminated at an unprecedented pace. In 1519, John Froben published a collection of works by [[Martin Luther]] and noted in his correspondence that 600 copies were being shipped to France and Spain and sold in [[Paris]].{{Sfn|Lindberg|1996|p=275}}

[[File:Protestant France.svg|right|thumb|upright=1.0|16th-century religious geopolitics on a map of modern France
{{legend|#800080|Huguenot controlled}}
{{legend|#AA87DE|Contested}}
{{legend|#B3B3B3|Catholic controlled}}]]

In 1521, a group of reformers including [[Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples|Jacques Lefèvre]] and [[Guillaume Briçonnet (Bishop of Meaux)|Guillaume Briçonnet]], recently appointed [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Meaux|bishop of Meaux]], formed the Circle of [[Meaux]], aiming to improve the quality of preaching and religious life in general. They were joined by [[François Vatable]], an [[Hebraist|expert in Hebrew]],{{Sfn|Cairns|1996|p=308}} along with [[Guillaume Budé]], a [[Classicism|classicist]] and Royal librarian.{{Sfn|Grimm|1973|p=54}} Lefèvre's ''Fivefold Psalter'' and his commentary on the [[Epistle to the Romans]] emphasised the literal interpretation of the Bible and the centrality of [[Jesus Christ]].{{Sfn|Lindberg|1996|p=275}} Many of the tenets behind [[Lutheranism]] first appeared in Luther's lectures, which in turn contained many of the ideas expressed in the works of Lefèvre.{{Sfn|Grimm|1973|p=55}}

Other members of the Circle included [[Marguerite de Navarre]], sister of Francis I and mother of [[Jeanne d'Albret]], as well as [[William Farel|Guillaume Farel]], who was exiled to [[Geneva]] in 1530 due to his reformist views and persuaded [[John Calvin]] to join him there.{{Sfn|Grimm|1973|pp=263–264}} Both men were banished from Geneva in 1538 for opposing what they viewed as government interference with religious affairs; although the two fell out over the nature of the [[Eucharist]], Calvin's return to Geneva in 1541 allowed him to forge the doctrine of [[Calvinism]].{{sfn|Knecht|2010|p=8}}{{sfn|Holt|2005|p=21}}

A key driver behind the Reform movement was corruption among the [[clergy]] which Luther and others attacked and sought to change.{{Sfn|Cairns|1996|p=309}} Such criticisms were not new but the printing press allowed them to be widely shared, such as the ''[[Heptaméron]]'' by Marguerite, a collection of stories about clerical immorality.{{Sfn|Lindberg|1996|p=279}} Another complaint was the reduction of [[Salvation]] to a business scheme based on the sale of [[Indulgences]], which added to general unrest and increased the popularity of works such as Farel's translation of the Lord's Prayer, ''The True and Perfect Prayer''. This focused on ''[[Sola fide]]'', or the idea salvation was a free gift from God, emphasised the importance of understanding in prayer and criticised the clergy for hampering the growth of true faith.{{Sfn|Lindberg|1996|p=279}}