Edict of Nantes

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.02: French Writing and Culture in the Renaissance, 1400-1600.
Vol. editors: Robert J. Hudson (Brigham Young University), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), Phillip John Usher (New York University), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Domains

Human Rights
Protestants

Dates

Date of occurrence 1598-04-13

Places

France (Location)

By the Edict of Nantes (April 13, 1598) Henry IV of France sought to bring to an end the Wars of Religion (1562-98) in France. He gave full civil rights to Protestants and permitted them freedom conscience and of worship, except in Paris. The Protestants (usually called Huguenots) agreed in return to permit Catholic worship in areas controlled by them.

Whilst the Edict bought nominal peace after thirty years of war, the tolerance it granted was resented by Pope Clement VIII and by the Roman Catholic clergy. Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642; first minister of Louis XIII) viewed Huguenot wealth and control of major cities as a Trojan horse within the French state. Factional fighting in the 1620s enabled him to lay siege to their s…

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252 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Edict of Nantes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 April 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=309, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Edict of Nantes

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