Abstract

This article considers the extent of John Calvin’s involvement in the trial of Michael Servetus at Vienne (1553). Calvin is held responsible for Servetus' arrest and the accusations against him at the trial of Vienne. During this trial Servetus was convicted of heresy and was burned in effigy, since he had escaped. The letter of de Trie, the period preceding the trial, and the proceedings of the trial of Vienne are looked at to determine whether the allegations of Calvin’s unjust involvement in the trial of Vienne are justified. This article contends that Calvin did not play any direct role in the conviction of Servetus at the trial of Vienne.

Highlights

  • Michael Servetus (1509 - 1553), known as a physician, a mathematician, an author, a publisher and a heretic, died on the stake at Champel in Geneva on 27 October 1553

  • The accusations rest on the presupposition that Calvin had a major influence on the Council and the government of Geneva

  • This article asks the question: Was Michael Servetus accused by Calvin in the trial of Vienne? Two supporting questions are considered: What were the letters of de Trie about? What was the trial like? The correspondence between de Trie and his cousin as well as the court proceedings of the Vienne trial are considered in order to answer these questions

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

Michael Servetus (1509 - 1553), known as a physician, a mathematician, an author, a publisher and a heretic, died on the stake at Champel in Geneva on 27 October 1553. Castellio wrote in several pamphlets, especially De Haereticis an sint persequendi, which was published under the alias Martin Bellius He stood up for Servetus and condemned Calvin for lacking Christian sympathy. A year after Servetus’ death in September 1554, Camillo Renato, an Italian Anabaptist writer, wrote an indictment in his book Carmen against Calvin, claiming that the act of burning Servetus was cruel and unchristian.[4] Such accusations were raised in earnest again on the 350th anniversary of Servetus’ trial. This article asks the question: Was Michael Servetus accused by Calvin in the trial of Vienne? The correspondence between de Trie and his cousin as well as the court proceedings of the Vienne trial are considered in order to answer these questions. 4 Camillo Renato, “Carmen”, in Tedeschi (1965: 187) It was published in Traona on the first anniversary of Servetus’ execution. It is contained in Calvin’s Opera (vol XV, 236-45)

CORRESPONDENCE OF DE TRIE
THE TRIAL IN VIENNE
The First Interrogation
Second Interrogation
Escape and Third Interrogation
CONCLUSION

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