Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

Get access

Barricade
(2,546 words)

1. Genesis and spread

From the beginning, barricades functioned as an extreme tool of popular domestic political opposition to military coercion by the Supreme power. The concept and the name barricade originated in France in the late 16th century. On May 12th, 1588, when the Catholic League prevented the arrest of its leader Charles de Guise in by troops of King Henry III by kettling hostile cavalry between street obstacles made of iron chains, bar…

Cite this page
Reichardt, Rolf, “Barricade”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_017353>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160321



▲   Back to top   ▲