Edict of Nantes Henry IV. XXVI. Wars of Religion in France and the Edict of Nantes

Excerpts from the Decree for the Repeal of the Edict of Nantes

October 1685

Art. 1. We declare that we ... by our present edict, eternal and irremovable, have abolished and canceled, we abolish and cancel the edict of the king (Henry IV), our ancestor, given in Nantes in April 1598 ... As a result of this, we wish and we want that all the temples of the so-called reformed religion in our kingdom, provinces and seigneuries were immediately destroyed.

Art. 2. We forbid our subjects of the so-called reformed religion from assembling for the exercise of the said religion in any place or private house under any pretext ...

Art. 3. Similarly, we forbid all seigneurs, whatever their rank, to practice it in their houses and fiefs, whatever kind these fiefs may be, under the threat of punishment to all our subjects who practice this religion, deprivation of rights and property.

Art. 4. We command all ministers of the aforementioned religion, which calls itself reformed, who do not wish to convert to the Catholic, apostolic Roman religion, to leave our kingdom and lands subject to us within two weeks after the publication of our present edict, without the right to reside longer than this period and without the right to during this time to preach, teach or perform other services under fear of being sent to the galleys.

Art. 5. We express our will that those of the above-mentioned ministers who convert to Catholicism continue to enjoy throughout their lives, and their widows after their death, while they are widowed, the same exemptions from the payment of the talis and military billets which they enjoyed while they were ministers: and in addition, we will arrange for the payment to the said ministers, also during their whole life, of a pension, which will be one third higher than the remuneration that they received as ministers, with which their wives will also enjoy, after their death, half of this pension while they are widowed.

Art. 7. Forbid special schools for the education of the children of the so-called reformed religion, and in general, any measures whatsoever that might mean any concession in favor of the said religion.

Art. 8. With regard to children who are born to persons belonging to the so-called reformed religion, we wish that from now on they will be baptized by parish (Catholic) priests. For what purpose do we command their fathers and mothers to send them to (Catholic) churches, under penalty of a fine of 500 livres and even more in case of an offense. And then the children will be brought up in the Roman Catholic apostolic religion, which we command the local judges to follow.

Art. 10. We categorically and repeatedly forbid all our subjects of the so-called reformed religion to leave, they, their wives and children, from the borders of our kingdom, regions and lands subject to us, as well as to export their property, under pain of exile to galleys for men and imprisonment and confiscation of property for women.

Introduction

Edict of Nantes (fr. Edit de Nantes) - a law that granted religious rights to French Huguenot Protestants. The issuance of the edict ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and marked the beginning of a century of relative peace, known as the "Great Age". The edict was drawn up by order of the French king Henry IV and approved in Nantes (April 13, 1598). Abolished by Louis XIV in 1685.

1. Regulations

The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by the parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and lengthy negotiations with them by the king. Not a single 16th-century edict Western Europe did not provide such extensive tolerance as Nantes. Subsequently, he gave reason to accuse the Huguenots of forming a state within a state.

The Edict of Nantes granted full equality to Catholics and Protestants. The first article of the edict introduced Catholic worship wherever it was discontinued. The Catholic clergy were given back all their former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All the nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinistic worship and to admit outsiders to it. In the castles of ordinary nobles, Protestant worship was allowed if the number of Protestants did not exceed 30 people and if the castles were not located in an area where the Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.

In cities and villages where the Huguenots were allowed to worship until 1597, this right was restored. Calvinistic worship was formally forbidden in Paris and some cities closed to it on the basis of capitulations; but Protestants were allowed to live there. In all other places, the Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public office. By religious motives it was forbidden to disinherit relatives, attack the Huguenots and persuade their children to convert to Catholicism. All those sentenced to punishment for religious beliefs were pardoned.

The government pledged to help the Huguenots with subsidies for schools and churches. In addition, the Huguenots were granted a number of privileges of a political, judicial and military nature: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistory, synods), keep deputies at the court to submit petitions and complaints through Sully, Morne and d’Aubigne. In Paris, a judicial chamber (Chambre de l'Edit) was established for the Protestants of Normandy and Brittany, in Castres for the Toulouse district, in Bordeaux and Grenoble - mixed chambers (Chambres miparties), for the Provence and Burgundy Provence.

The exiles were returned to their homeland. In the power of the Huguenots were left for 8 years 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them until 1597 (places de sûreté); the garrisons were kept here at the expense of the king, and the chiefs were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The Pope called the Edict of Nantes impious. The Huguenots demanded even more, interpreting the edict in terms of expanding its content.

Henry IV persuaded the parliaments with great tact to enter the edict into their minutes; only the Rouen parliament persisted until 1609. Having fastened the big edict state seal, Henry called it "eternal and irrevocable", protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or expanding it temporarily, especially in relation to the term of the fortresses owned by the Huguenots.

2. Under Louis XIII

Under the accession of Louis XIII, the regency approved the Edict of Nantes, stating that it must be "observed inviolably." Richelieu robbed the Protestant party of its political influence, but the principle of religious tolerance remained in force.

In 1629, in Ala, after the end of the wars with the Huguenots, the Edict of Nîmes (édit de grâce) was issued, repeating the articles of the Edict of Nantes. After the death of Louis XIII, a declaration was issued (July 8, 1643) in which the Protestants were granted free and unrestricted practice of their religion and the Edict of Nantes was affirmed "as far as it turned out to be necessary." Louis XIV declared in a declaration on May 21, 1652: "I wish that the Huguenots do not cease to use the Edict of Nantes completely."

3. Cancel

Reluctantly submitting to the Edict of Nantes, the Catholic clergy under Louis XIV tried by all means to destroy it or paralyze its significance. Religious persecution began in 1661. On October 17, 1685, Louis XIV signed the edict at Fontainebleau repealing the Edict of Nantes.

Literature

Élie Benoit, "Histoire de l'Édit de Nantes";

Bernard, "Explication de l'Édit de Nantes" (H., 1666);

Meynier, "De l'execution de l'Édit de Nantes dans le Dauphiné"

When writing this article, material from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907) was used.

The Edict of Nantes was a law that granted religious rights to French Huguenot Protestants. The issuance of the edict ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and marked the beginning of a century of relative peace, known as the "Great Age". The edict was drawn up by order of the French king Henry IV and approved in Nantes (April 13, 1598). Abolished by Louis XIV in 1685.
The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by the parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and lengthy negotiations with them by the king. No sixteenth-century edict in Western Europe granted such extensive tolerance as that of Nantes. Subsequently, he gave reason to accuse the Huguenots of forming a state within a state.
The Edict of Nantes granted full equality to Catholics and Protestants. The first article of the edict introduced Catholic worship wherever it was discontinued. The Catholic clergy were given back all their former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All the nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinistic worship and to admit outsiders to it. In the castles of ordinary nobles, Protestant worship was allowed if the number of Protestants did not exceed 30 people and if the castles were not located in an area where the Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.
In cities and villages where the Huguenots were allowed to worship until 1597, this right was restored. Calvinistic worship was formally forbidden in Paris and some cities closed to it on the basis of capitulations; but Protestants were allowed to live there. In all other places, the Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public office. For religious reasons, it was forbidden to disinherit relatives, attack Huguenots and persuade their children to convert to Catholicism. All those sentenced to punishment for religious beliefs were pardoned.
The government pledged to help the Huguenots with subsidies for schools and churches. At the same time, the Huguenots were granted a number of privileges of a political, judicial and military nature: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistory, synods), keep deputies at the court to submit petitions and complaints through Sully, Morne and d’Aubigne. In Paris, a judicial chamber (Chambre de l'Edit) was established for the Protestants of Normandy and Brittany, in Castres for the Toulouse district, in Bordeaux and Grenoble - mixed chambers (Chambres miparties), for the Provence and Burgundy Provence.
The exiles were returned to their homeland. In the power of the Huguenots were left for 8 years 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them until 1597 (places de sûreté); the garrisons were kept here at the expense of the king, and the chiefs were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The Pope called the Edict of Nantes impious. The Huguenots demanded even more, interpreting the edict in terms of expanding its content.
Henry IV persuaded the parliaments with great tact to enter the edict into their minutes; only the Rouen parliament persisted until 1609. Having fastened the edict with a large state seal, Henry called it ʼʼeternal and irrevocableʼʼ, protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or expanding it temporarily, especially in relation to the term of the fortresses belonging to the Huguenots.

Regulations

The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by the parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and lengthy negotiations with them by the king. No sixteenth-century edict in Western Europe granted such extensive tolerance as that of Nantes. Subsequently, he gave reason to accuse the Huguenots of forming a state within a state.

The Edict of Nantes granted full equality to Catholics and Protestants. The first article of the edict consigned to oblivion the events of the Wars of Religion and forbade any mention of them.

I. ... the remembrance of everything that happened on either side from the beginning of March 1585 until our coronation and during the other preceding troubles will be blotted out as if nothing had happened. Neither our Attorneys General nor any other person, public or private, will ever be allowed to mention this for any reason...

- "Edict of Nantes"

The third article of the edict introduced Catholic worship wherever it was discontinued. At the same time, in cities and villages where the Huguenots were allowed to worship until 1597, this right was restored.

III. We command that the Catholic Apostolic Roman religion be restored in all places of our kingdom ... where its administration was interrupted and may it be practiced peacefully and freely without any confusion or obstacles.

In order not to give any cause for confusion and strife among our subjects, we have allowed and allow those professing the so-called reformed religion to live and dwell in all the cities and places of our kingdom and their subordinate areas without persecution and compulsion to do anything in the matter of religion contrary to their conscience. ; they will not be searched on this occasion in the houses and places where they wish to live ...

- "Edict of Nantes"

The Catholic clergy were given back all their former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All the nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinistic worship and to admit outsiders to it. In the castles of ordinary nobles, Protestant worship was allowed if the number of Protestants did not exceed 30 people and if the castles were not located in an area where the Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.

Calvinist worship was formally forbidden in Paris and some cities closed to it on the basis of concluded capitulations; but Protestants were allowed to live there. In all other places, the Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public office. For religious reasons, it was forbidden to disinherit relatives, attack Huguenots and persuade their children to convert to Catholicism. All those sentenced to punishment for religious beliefs were pardoned.

The government pledged to help the Huguenots with subsidies for schools and churches. In addition, the Huguenots were granted a number of privileges of a political, judicial and military nature: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistory, synods), keep deputies at the court to submit petitions and complaints through Sully, Morne and d'Aubigne. In Paris, a judicial chamber (Chambres de l'Edit) was established for the Protestants of Normandy and Brittany, in Castres for the Toulouse district, in Bordeaux and Grenoble - mixed chambers (Chambres miparties), for Provence and Burgundy Protestants.

The exiles were returned to their homeland. In the power of the Huguenots were left for 8 years 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them until 1597 (places de sûreté); the garrisons were kept here at the expense of the king, and the chiefs were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The Pope called the Edict of Nantes impious. The Huguenots demanded even more, interpreting the edict in terms of expanding its content.

Henry IV persuaded the parliaments with great tact to enter the edict into their minutes; only the Rouen parliament persisted until 1609. Having sealed the edict with a large state seal, Henry called it “eternal and irrevocable”, protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or temporarily expanding it, especially in relation to the term of the fortresses owned by the Huguenots.

Under Louis XIII

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
• Élie Benoit, "Histoire de l'Édit de Nantes";
• Bernard, "Explication de l'Édit de Nantes" (H., 1666);
• Meynier, "De l'execution de l'Édit de Nantes dans le Dauphiné";
• O. Douen, "La Révocation de l'Édit de Nantes à Paris" (H., 1894);
• J. Bianquis, "La Révocation de l'Édit de Nantes a Rouen" (Rouen, 1885);
• Vaillant, "La Revocation de l'Éd. de Nantes dans le Boulonnais";
• R. Reuss, "Louis XIV et l'Eglise protestante de Strasbourg au moment de la Révocation" (P., 1887).

Notes

Categories:

• Religious legislation
• Freedom of conscience
• Reformation
• History of Calvinism
• Appeared in 1598
• Law of the Ancien Régime in France

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See what the "Edict of Nantes" is in other dictionaries:

EDICT OF NANTES- 1598, a law issued by the French king Henry IV of Bourbon (see HENRY IV of Bourbon); finally completed religious wars(see RELIGIOUS WARS in France) of the second half of the 16th century. in France. The edict was signed in April 1598 in the city of ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

EDICT OF NANTES- A law of 1598, issued in Nantes by Henry IV, according to which the Huguenots (the nickname given by Catholics to Protestants) received the right to freely practice their faith and some civil and political benefits. Complete dictionary foreign words,… … Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Edict of Nantes- (Nantes, Edict of) (1598), published by the French. King Henry IV ended the Wars of Religion in France. Signed in Nantes, a port city at the mouth of the river. Loire, Zap. France. The edict defined religion. and civil the rights of the Huguenots, gave them freedom ... ... The World History

EDICT OF NANTES- 1598 edict issued by the French king Henry IV, finally ended the state of the Religious War. According to AD Catholicism remained the dominant religion, but the Huguenots were given freedom of worship and worship in the cities (except ... ... Legal Encyclopedia

EDICT OF NANTES- 1598 issued by the French king Henry IV, finally ended the Wars of Religion. According to the Edict of Nantes, Catholicism remained the dominant religion, but the Huguenots were given freedom of worship and worship in cities (except Paris and ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Edict of Nantes- see the Edict of Nantes ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Edict of Nantes- ♦ (ENG Nantes, Edict of) (1598) an agreement between the French king Henry IV and the Huguenots, which granted the latter freedom of conscience in certain geographical areas, granted civil liberties and fortified cities of refuge. ... ... Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms

l "édit de Nantes) - a law that granted religious rights to French Huguenot Protestants. The publication of the edict ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and marked the beginning of a century of relative interfaith peace, known as the " Great Age". The edict was drawn up by order of the French king Henry IV Bourbon and approved in Nantes (April 13, 1598) Revoked by Louis XIV in 1685.

Regulations

The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by the parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and lengthy negotiations with them by the king. No 16th-century edict in Western Europe granted such extensive religious tolerance as that of Nantes. Subsequently, he gave reason to accuse the Huguenots of forming a state within a state.

The Edict of Nantes granted full equality to Catholics and Protestants. The first article of the edict consigned to oblivion the events of the Wars of Religion and forbade any mention of them.

I. ... the memory of everything that happened on both sides from the beginning of March 1585 until our coronation and during other previous troubles will be blotted out as if nothing had happened. Neither our Attorneys General nor any other person, public or private, will ever be allowed to mention this for any reason...

- Edict of Nantes

The third article of the edict introduced Catholic worship wherever it was discontinued. At the same time, in those cities and villages where the Huguenots were allowed to worship until 1597, this right was restored.

III. We command that the Catholic Apostolic Roman religion be restored in all places of our kingdom ... where its administration was interrupted and let it be practiced peacefully and freely without any troubles and obstacles.

In order not to give any cause for confusion and strife among our subjects, we have allowed and allow those professing the so-called reformed religion to live and dwell in all the cities and places of our kingdom and their subordinate areas without persecution and compulsion to do anything in the matter of religion contrary to their conscience. ; they will not be searched on this occasion in the houses and places where they wish to live ...

- Edict of Nantes

The Catholic clergy were given back all their former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All the nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinistic worship and to admit outsiders to it. In the castles of ordinary nobles, Protestant worship was allowed if the number of Protestants did not exceed 30 people and if the castles were not located in an area where the Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.

Calvinist worship was formally banned in Paris and some cities closed to it on the basis of earlier capitulations; but Protestants were allowed to live there. In all other places, the Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public office. It was forbidden for religious reasons to disinherit relatives, attack the Huguenots and persuade their children to convert to Catholicism. All those sentenced to punishment for religious beliefs were pardoned.

The government pledged to help the Huguenots with subsidies for schools and churches. In addition, the Huguenots were granted a number of privileges of a political, judicial and military nature: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistory, synods), keep deputies at the court to submit petitions and complaints through Sully, Morne and d'Aubigne. In Paris, a judicial chamber was established ( Chambre de l'Edit) for the Protestants of Normandy and Brittany, in Castres - for the Toulouse district, in Bordeaux and Grenoble - mixed chambers ( Chambres miparties), for Provence and Burgundy Protestants.

Exiles were allowed to return to their homeland. In the power of the Huguenots were left for 8 years 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them until 1597 (places de sûreté - places of safety); the garrisons were kept here at the expense of the king, and the chiefs were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The king directly told the Huguenot deputation that the fortresses would be useful to them in case possible cancellation of the Edict of Nantes by his successors...

The Pope called the Edict of Nantes impious. The Huguenots demanded even more, interpreting the edict in terms of expanding its content.

Henry IV persuaded the parliaments with great tact to enter the edict into their minutes; only Rouen parliament persisted until 1609. Having sealed the edict with a large state seal, Henry called it “eternal and irrevocable”, protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or temporarily expanding it, especially in relation to the term of the fortresses owned by the Huguenots.

Under Louis XIII

Under the accession of Louis XIII, the regency approved the Edict of Nantes, stating that it must be "observed inviolably." Although Richelieu robbed the Protestant Party of its political influence, the principle of religious tolerance remained in force.

In 1629 in Ala, after the completion local war with the Huguenots, was published Edict of Nîmes who repeated the articles of the Edict of Nantes. After the death of Louis XIII, a declaration was issued (July 8, 1643), in which the Protestants were granted free and unlimited practice of their religion and the Edict of Nantes was approved, but with the caveat: "as far as it turned out to be necessary." Louis XIV declared in a declaration on May 21, 1652: "I wish that the Huguenots do not cease to use the Edict of Nantes completely."

Cancel

Reluctantly submitting to the Edict of Nantes, the Catholic clergy under Louis XIV tried by all means to destroy it or paralyze its significance. Since 1661, religious persecution resumed. In the 9th article of the Edict of Nantes, worship was allowed in those places where it was performed in 1596 and 1597. On this basis, Catholics began to destroy Protestant churches in other places. On April 2, 1666, Louis issued a declaration in which the principle of freedom, recognized by the Edict of Nantes, was destroyed. October 17, 1685 Louis XIV signed