Early 16th century France was a newly formed nation-state following the exploits of Joan of Arc and unification efforts of Louis XI. The counterattack coming from the oligarchic forces was a most bloody religious warfare and Inquisition throughout Europe, pitting each against all.

In the midst of all this raging madness, stood in France a physician (and former monk), François Rabelais. How could he, using stories of giants, help the country find its way out of this bloodbath through republican principles of Statecraft?

In this lecture “Rabelais and the Fight for the Modern Nation State,” historian Pascal Chevrier intends to answer such a question.

Previous lectures in the ongoing RTF Symposium ‘Storytelling, Mythmaking and Universal History’ can be watched here.