Christianity and Revolutionary Europe, 1750-1830

Christianity and Revolutionary Europe, 1750–1830, first published in 2003, provides a comprehensive and accessible summary of the role of the churches during this turbulent period in European history. How did the churches survive the political and intellectual challenges posed by the French Revolution, despite institutional upheaval and the widespread questioning of dogma and tradition? Nigel Aston answers this question by drawing on three decades of research, and argues that pre-Revolutionary Christianity had a vitality and resilience that should not be underestimated. Aston takes the story forward to 1830, dealing with both the immediate aftermath of the Revolution and its longer-term impact and offering comprehensive guidance to the complicated strands of change and continuity. The text is supported by illuminating illustrations, and a glossary of unfamiliar terms gives further help to the student reader. It will be of key interest to all those following courses on religious history and the French Revolution.

Introduction; Part I. Later Eighteenth-Century Religion: 1. Church structures and ministry; 2. Beliefs, society and worship. The expression of Christianity in Europe, c.1750–90; 3. Intellectual challenges and the religious response; 4. Church and State; Part II. Revolution and its Aftermath: 5. Revolutions and the Churches: the initial impact; 6. The impact of the Revolution on religious life and practice, c.1793–1802; 7. Religion in Napoleonic Europe, 1802–15; 8. Religious revival after 1815?

This book offers students an accessible and succinct summary of key developments in the confrontation between the Churches and the Enlightenment. The text is supported by illuminating illustrations, maps, and a helpful glossary; it will be of key interest to students of religious history and the French Revolution.

Nigel Aston is a Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester. His most recent book is Religion and Revolution in France, 1780–1804 (2000).