Editing Ardèche (section)

===Early modern history===
As a result of the reformation of [[John Calvin]] in [[Geneva]], the Vivarais Ardèche was one of the areas that strongly embraced Protestantism partly as a result of Jacques Valery's missionary activity in 1534. During the [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]] (1562–1598), the Ardèche was considered a strategically important location between Protestant Geneva, Lyon, and Catholic Languedoc. The region had prospered with the introduction of tobacco growing from America, and the agrarian experiments of [[Olivier de Serres]], father of modern French agriculture. The influence of Protestant Lyon, and the growth of the silk industry, thanks to the planting of [[mulberry]] trees, gave the [[Bourgeoisie|burghers]] of the Vivarais towns a certain independence of thinking, and with the support of powerful Protestant [[Huguenot]]s (the Comte de Crussol and [[Olivier de Serres]]), the Vivarais became a Protestant stronghold. As a result, it suffered many attacks and eight pitched battles between 1562 and 1595. In 1598, the [[Edict of Nantes]] put an end to these struggles. At that time, the Vivarais had over 75 Protestant churches and five fortified strongholds with permanent garrisons. But the area's problems were not over. In 1629, Paule de Chambaud, daughter of the Huguenot lord of Privas, chose instead to marry a Catholic, the Vicomte de l'Estrange, who supported [[Cardinal Richelieu]]'s persecution of Protestants. With a majority of the population Protestant, Privas refused to submit, and as a centre of the revolt of the [[Benjamin de Rohan, duc de Soubise]], was burned to the ground by the forces of [[Louis XIII]], sent to support the Vicomte de l'Estrange. As a result, one-fifth of the Vivarais Protestant population emigrated.

[[File:Château de Crussol - Détail de la Villette intérieure - Le donjon en haut.jpg|[[Château de Crussol]]|thumb]]
The [[Revocation of the Edict of Nantes]] in 1685, which outlawed Protestantism, led the peasant family of [[Marie Durand|Marie]] and [[Pierre Durand, Huguenot|Pierre Durand]] to revolt against royal authority. This led to the [[Camisard]] revolt of the Ardèche prophets. Louis XIV responded by dispatching [[Dragoons]], who brutalised the population by "[[dragonnade]]s", destroying a number of communities. The brutality of those years was enormous and peace was restored only in 1715. As a result of brutality on both sides, another 50,000 Archèche Protestants fled France, many for Switzerland, whilst others were forced into abjuration (conversion).

In the next century, despite the growth of the community of Annonay, increasing polarisation between the upper nobility families such as Rohan Soubise, and Vogue, Count of Aubenas, possessing huge financial fortunes, and the lesser nobility, the village clergy and the bourgeoisie of the Vivarais paralleled developments elsewhere in France. Despite this, the sons of a local Annonay paper-maker, [[Joseph Montgolfier|Joseph]] and [[Jacques Etienne Montgolfier]], ascended in the first [[hot air balloon]] over the town on 4 June 1783. The firm of Canson Mongolfier continues making paper to this day and every year on the first weekend in June a large hot air balloon gathering celebrates the first journey. At the 200th anniversary in 1983, some 50 hot air balloons took part with the first historic flight reenacted with people dressed in period costume.