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22 October 1685Primary source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes

Religious toleration ends and tens of thousands of Huguenots flee France

On the timeline · around 22 October 1685 · Renaissance and Absolute MonarchyRenaissance and Absolute MonarchyRevolution, Empire, and RestorationLouis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes15501600165017001750

Quick facts

Location
Fontainebleau, France
Issued by
Louis XIV
Effect
Roughly 200,000 Huguenots emigrated

What happened

Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau on 22 October 1685, revoking the Edict of Nantes and declaring that the earlier toleration granted to Huguenots was no longer needed because, in the document's own words, the better and greater part of his Protestant subjects had already converted to Catholicism. The revocation outlawed Protestant worship, ordered the destruction of Huguenot churches, and banned Protestant pastors from remaining in France while simultaneously forbidding ordinary Huguenots from emigrating.

Why it matters

Despite the emigration ban, roughly 200,000 Huguenots fled France for Protestant countries including England, the Dutch Republic, and Prussia, taking valuable skills and capital with them and weakening French commerce and manufacturing in the affected regions for a generation.

How we know

The Edict of Fontainebleau's full text survives and states its own reasoning and provisions directly, giving a primary record of Louis XIV's justification in his own government's words.

Sources

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Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes · History of France · SourcedStory