utherans," up to this time the
ordinary appellation of the French Protestants, would have been rendered
permanent. But now the persecution they had experienced, in consequence
of their opposition to the papal mass, confirmed the French reformers in
their previous views, and disinclined them to admit even such a
"consubstantiation" as Luther's followers insisted upon.

[Sidenote: Geneva secures its independence.]

The same complicated political motives that led Francis to relax his
excessive rigor against the Protestants of his realm, in order to avoid
provoking the anger of the German princes, prompted him to assist in
securing the independence of Geneva, which, at the time, he little
dreamed would so soon become the citadel of French Protestantism. After
a prolonged contest, the city on the banks of the Rhone had shaken off
the yoke of its bishop, and had bravely repelled successive assaults
made by the Duke of Savoy. The first preachers of the Reformation, Farel
and Froment, after a series of attempts and rebuffs for romantic
interest inferior to no other episode in an age of stirring adventure,
had seen the new worship accepted by the majority of the people, and by
the very advocates of the old system, Caroli and Chapuis. If the grand
council had thus far hesitated to give a formal sanction to the
religious change, it was only through fear that the taking of so decided
a step might provoke more powerful enemies than the neighboring duke.
The latter, being fully resolved to humble the insubordinate burgesses,
had for two years been striving to cut off their supplies by garrisons
maintained in adjoining castles and strongholds; nor would his plans,
perhaps, have failed, but for the intervention of two powerful
opponents--Francis and the Swiss Canton of Berne.

[Sidenote: with the assistance of Francis I.]

Louise de Savoie was the sister of Duke Charles. Her son had a double
cause of resentment against his uncle: Charles had refused him free
passage through his dominions, when marching against the Milanese; and,
contrary to all justice, he persistently refused to give up the marriage
portion of his sister, the king's mother. Francis avenged himself, both
for the insult and for the robbery, by permitting a gentleman of his
bedchamber, by the name of De Verez, a native of Savoy, to throw himself
into the beleaguered city with a body of French soldiers.

[Sidenote: and the Bernese.]

While Geneva was thus strengthen