Edict of Nantes

Background

In sixteenth-century France, the number of Reformed Protestants influenced by John Calvin grew steadily. They were known as Huguenots. Under a monarchy that upheld Catholicism as the state religion, the Huguenots suffered persecution. Beginning in 1562, a series of civil wars broke out between Catholic forces and the Huguenots; these are known as the French Wars of Religion (or the Huguenot Wars). The conflict deepened after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, in which many Huguenots were killed.

In 1589, Henry of Navarre, a leader of the Huguenots, ascended the throne as Henry IV. The Catholic majority, however, strongly opposed him. He converted to Catholicism in 1593 and entered Paris in 1594.

Course of Events

• April 13, 1598: Henry IV promulgated the edict in Nantes, a city in the province of Brittany. The edict consisted of four documents: a main text of 92 articles, secret articles that were not made public, and royal letters patent. The main text was proclaimed a "perpetual and irrevocable" law.
• Principal provisions: The edict declared a general amnesty under which events occurring after 1585 would not be prosecuted. Huguenots were granted freedom of conscience throughout France. Public worship, however, was permitted only in designated places, such as towns held by the Huguenots as of 1597 and the residences of nobles above a certain rank, and it was not permitted in Paris. Huguenots were made eligible for public office, and lawsuits involving Huguenots were assigned to special courts composed of both Catholic and Protestant judges. For their security, the Huguenots were entrusted with roughly 100 fortified towns, and the king provided an annual subsidy for purposes such as the stipends of pastors. At the same time, the edict reaffirmed Catholicism as the state religion and required the restoration of Catholic worship in Huguenot areas.
• 1610: Henry IV was assassinated.
• Peace of Alès: Under this peace, concluded about thirty years after the edict was promulgated, the Huguenots lost their political and military rights.
• 1681–1685: The government of Louis XIV pressured Huguenots to convert by forcibly quartering cavalry troops in their households. This practice is known as the dragonnades. Between 300,000 and 400,000 people are reported to have converted during this period.
• October 18, 1685: Louis XIV, the grandson of Henry IV, signed the Edict of Fontainebleau, which was promulgated on October 22. Its stated justification was that so many conversions had taken place that there was no longer any reason to grant privileges to Protestants. Under this edict, Protestant worship was prohibited and Protestant houses of worship were demolished. Pastors were required to convert or leave the country within two weeks, while ordinary believers were forbidden even to emigrate.

Consequences and Influence

Despite the ban on emigration, many Huguenots fled to Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, and territories of the Holy Roman Empire such as Brandenburg-Prussia. Some of those who went to the Netherlands later moved on to the Cape Colony in southern Africa. Some rulers, such as Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg, actively welcomed them. Most Huguenots who remained in France converted and became known as "new converts," but some evaded their Catholic obligations and continued to hold secret assemblies. Some historians judge that the revocation cost France talent and resources and heightened hostility among neighboring Protestant nations. Within France at the time, however, the revocation was widely acclaimed.

Assessment

The Edict of Nantes is credited with separating the civil unity of the state from religious uniformity. Because it treated Protestants not merely as heretics but as subjects possessing legal rights, it is regarded as a milestone that opened the way toward religious toleration and the secular state.

Its limitations have also been noted. Catholicism remained the state religion, and the places where Huguenots could worship were restricted. The edict itself set forth as its goal the eventual reunification of the nation in a single faith. For this reason, some view it less as a law proclaiming the principle of toleration than as a political compromise intended to end civil war. At the time, Catholics resented the very recognition of Protestantism, while the Huguenots were dissatisfied with the restrictions on their places of worship.

The Huguenots belong to the Calvinist Reformed church tradition. They therefore share theological roots with Calvinist churches such as the Presbyterian churches of Korea.