The Rebellion in the Cevennes, an Historical Novel. Vol. I.

In the shadow of the French Alps, the late 17th‑century Cevennes become a furnace of faith and fury. After Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes, Protestant families are torn from their homes, children seized, and churches razed, driving a desperate people into the rugged hills. Among them a thin‑skinned shepherd’s son discovers a fierce leader, the charismatic Cavalier, whose visions promise salvation through resistance. The first act swells with whispered meetings, clandestine worship, and the sudden spark of rebellion when a local tax collector is slain.

From hidden valleys the Camisards launch daring night raids, their simple shirts marked as symbols of defiance. As royal dragoons press harder, the peasants balance hunger, cold, and the lure of martyrdom against the hope of freedom. The narrative follows the growing bond between the young rebel and a mysterious prophetess whose trance‑filled warnings hint at larger forces at play.