Abstract

Following a disastrous harvest, a food riot erupted in the city of Lyon in April 1529. The Grande Rebeine, as it was called, saw hundreds of ordinary Lyonnais gather to protest the handling of the grain crisis. However, the protest quickly turned into a riot as some participants decided to attack city hall, the nearby abbey, and the homes of wealthy residents, while most raided one of the city’s granaries. After over a week of rioting, control of the city was finally regained and Lyon’s authorities began the process of bringing the rioters to justice. As was made clear in surviving documentation, the focus for city councillors and jurists was to differentiate between those who looted the granary out of necessity and those who looted the homes of rich men for personal gain. This was reflected in the types of punishments the accused received. By recording the processes against a variety of individuals believed to have been involved in the Rebeine of 1529, Lyon’s civic authorities have given us the opportunity to explore a variety of themes concerning early modern popular protest culture, especially as they relate to the identities of the participants, their motivations, and the place of protest in past non-democratic societies.