«ЧЕСТОЛЮБИВЫЕ ВИДЫ НА ВЛАСТЬ В ГОСУДАРСТВЕ»: ОБРАЗ ГЕНРИХА ДЕ ГИЗА В РОССИЙСКИХ И ФРАНЦУЗСКИХ ШКОЛЬНЫХ УЧЕБНИКАХ XIX – НАЧАЛА XX В.

Abstract

The following article is an attempt at a comparative analysis of the images of a key character in the epoch of the Civil (religious) wars in France, Henry, Duke of Guise in schoolbooks of the 19th – early 20th century. The research is based on several schoolbooks for different levels of education published in France and Russia at that time. It is concluded that the “black legend” about the Duke of Guise consolidated in the collective consciousness as a contribution of educational literature. He was portrayed not only as an antagonist to not only the last Valois, but also to the future monarch Henry IV, the one traditionally standing for tolerance and progress in European historical culture. However, in the liberal-republican discourse Henry of Guise’s image was always rather ambiguous. The schoolbooks reflect the controversial char - acter of his figure, as it was constructed by historians. The ever-changing politi- cal context and the development of historical research defined the evolution of his image in France as well as in Russia and the aiming for further objectiveness in 19–20th century schoolbooks. Nevertheless, the main features of his image haven’t changed.