Calvinist Internationalism and the English Officer Corps, 1562–1642

Abstract

Abstract This article uses a crucial but little‐known text to examine two problematic issues in early‐modern history: whether there was, in any meaningful sense, a ‘Calvinist international’; and the extent to which religious commitment influenced career soldiers. The Defence of Militarie Profession (1579), by a Calvinist soldier, Geoffrey Gates, is rich on both issues and an excellent potential source for students. This article outlines how close reading reveals a transnational concept of the Reformed Churches as Israel, derived from a distinctive understanding and application of the Bible. Then, analysis of English military officers indicates that many were Calvinist and shared this internationalist concept of their confession. Thus, this essay argues that a ‘Calvinist international’ did exist as a conscious transnational movement and that its ideology was an important factor in the mental world of English career soldiers; and it introduces a text that students can use to explore these large issues.

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