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13 April 1598Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Henry IV issues the Edict of Nantes, ending the Wars of Religion

A Protestant-born king grants toleration to end 36 years of civil war

On the timeline · around 13 April 1598 · Renaissance and Absolute MonarchyRenaissance and Absolute MonarchyHenry IV issues the Edict of Nantes, ending the Wars of Religion15001550160016501700

Quick facts

Location
Nantes, France
Issued by
Henry IV
Revoked
1685, by Louis XIV

What happened

Henry IV, who had been raised Protestant but converted to Catholicism to secure the French throne, issued the Edict of Nantes on 13 April 1598 to end decades of religious civil war between Catholics and Huguenots. The edict granted Huguenots freedom of conscience everywhere in France and the right to worship in specified towns and noble estates, while keeping Catholicism as the kingdom's official religion, and Henry declared it perpetual and irrevocable. Pope Clement VIII condemned the toleration it granted, reportedly calling freedom of conscience the worst thing that could happen.

Why it matters

The edict was the first time a European monarch had granted legal, if limited, religious toleration to a religious minority rather than demanding uniformity, and it brought roughly three decades of relative peace between French Catholics and Protestants until Louis XIV revoked it in 1685.

How we know

The edict's full text survives, comprising 92 general articles and 56 additional secret articles specifying Huguenot rights and obligations in detail.

Sources

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Henry IV issues the Edict of Nantes, ending the Wars of Religion · History of France · SourcedStory