Those who have written on the Reformation in Geneva focus on a city which
became a magnet for religious refugees from Catholic lands—the beacon of inter-
national Protestantism. But, politically, how was it to preserve its independence in
the face of powerful and predatory neighbours? And, religiously, to what extent did
Calvin’s understanding of church and faith cause friction with its Reformed libera-
tor Bern? The answers to these questions go well beyond the scope of this essay, but
it is necessary to say something about the city from 1536 onwards, since it is easy
to forget how precarious Geneva’s situation was. Within the citizenry tensions
remained; economically, the city had been brought to its knees. Bern, which for so
long had sought to squeeze every penny out of the city, imposed a financial penalty
upon Geneva in August 1536 totalling 10,000 écus as military reparations:736 the
‘ransom’ of the entire Vaud had only amounted to two-thirds of that figure. It is a
measure of how little the Protestant cantons were aware of the fraught situation in
Geneva that Konstanz—a city which knew all about external threats and internal
divisions—could respond to Zürich in February 1536 that Bern’s victorious
campaign should be seen as a blessing from on high.737
Politically, neither Geneva’s internal governance nor its external relations had
been determined. After its ‘liberation’ by the army the Genevan council thanked
Bern for its rescue. However genuine, the thanks were expressed through clenched
teeth, since in the same breath Geneva announced that it was not willing to submit
to anyone, not even Bern, over the issue of the office of justiciar (vidomne) or the
bishop’s rights. The army commanders responded haughtily that Bern sought
only to assume the rights which the duke and the bishop had exercised—and
these were matters over which Geneva had no authority!738 By March Geneva was
seeking to renew its Burgrecht with Bern, but the latter would not budge from its
legal standpoint.739 The impasse continued until late July.740 The stalemate was
only resolved by Geneva’s agreeing to desist from any judicial proceedings against
Bern, whereupon the latter finally abandoned its claim to inherit the duke’s and
the bishop’s prerogatives.
736 Gilliard, ‘Rançon’, 179 n 41.
737 SAZH, Akten Konstanz 205:1, no. 155 (17 Feb. 1536): Wir habent ab der wolfart vnserer
frunden von Bern, daruon ir vnns jetzo schribent, nit klaine fröd empfangen, derhalben ouch wir dem
allerhöchsten gott, von dem dise wolfart harkůmpt, hertzlichen dank sagend, Mitt bitt, das er iren
handel vnd zug zů wÿtherung göttlicher eren vns sins hailmachenden worts beglucksamen welle.
738 EA IV, 1c, 635–6 (no. 387: I; II) (Feb. 1536).
739 EA IV, 1c, 655–6 (no. 401: 1) (March 1536). 740 EA IV, 1c, 724 (no. 441) (July 1536).