39

On Sunday 1745-8-29 a small upheaval occurred in Bagnes, a rather marginal mountain valley in the Swiss Alps, against the abbot of St-Maurice, the local feudal lord. This movement was nothing but one element in a long-term struggle, carried out by a stable and quite well organized political faction. The detailed analysis of the conflicts, of their protagonists as well as an analysis of the mobilization networks allows to highlight crucial aspects of local political life and reveals the active role of low classes. The microhistorical approach leads to some conclusions which challenge classical interpretation of pre-modern rural revolts. The case of Bagnes sheds light on the active and innovative character of popular politics, still underestimated in studies about pre-modern rural societies. The participants in the struggle against the abbot had a political program which was not limited to the quest for local autonomy. They claimed an opening of local corporations and a weakening of the control mechanism; they fought for an economic, political and cultural evolution of their valley. Bagnes rebels were decidedly “innovative rebels”.