Edict of Nantes 1598
Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Edict of Nantes (1598) was a decree issued by King Henry IV of France. It gave the Huguenots (French Protestants) freedom of worship and civil rights, while Catholicism stayed the main religion. It ended the French Wars of Religion between Catholics and Protestants. It was one of the first official acts of religious tolerance in Europe.
Example
Henry IV, once a Protestant himself, issued the Edict at Nantes in 1598. In 1685 Louis XIV revoked (cancelled) it, and many Huguenots fled France.
Don't confuse with
- Anglican Church settlement (1559): in England the ruler became head of a national Church. In France, the Edict let Protestants worship alongside a Catholic state.
Related concepts
- Christian humanism
- Thomas More
- Erasmus
- Indulgences
- Donation of Constantine
- Martin Luther
- Ninety-Five Theses
- Protestant Reformation
- John Calvin
- English Reformation