Edict of Nantes by Henry IV. The good intentions of the Edict of Nantes

Plan
Introduction
1 Provisions
2 Under Louis XIII
3 Cancel

Introduction

Edict of Nantes (fr. Edit de Nantes) - a law that granted religious rights to the French Protestant Huguenots. The issuance of the edict ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and ushered in a century of relative peace known as the "Great Century". 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. Provisions

The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and the king's lengthy negotiations with them. No 16th-century edict in Western Europe granted such extensive toleration as the Edict 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 had been discontinued. The Catholic clergy was restored to all its former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinist 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 areas where Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.

In cities and villages where Huguenots were allowed to worship before 1597, this right was restored. Calvinist worship was formally prohibited in Paris and some cities closed to it by virtue of capitulations; but Protestants were allowed to live there. In all other places, Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public positions. For religious reasons, it was forbidden to disinherit relatives, attack Huguenots, and induce 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 political, judicial and military privileges: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistories, synods), and keep deputies at court to present petitions and complaints through Sully, Mornay and d’Aubigné. In Paris, a court 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 Protestants of Provence and Burgundy.

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

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

2. Under Louis XIII

During the accession of Louis XIII, the regency approved the Edict of Nantes, decreeing that it must be “inviolably observed.” Richelieu deprived the Protestant party of its political influence, but the principle of religious tolerance remained in force.

In 1629, in Alais, 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 Protestants were granted the free and unrestricted exercise of their religion and the Edict of Nantes was approved “as far as it turned out to be necessary.” Louis XIV declared in a declaration on May 21, 1652: “I wish that the Huguenots should not cease to make full use of the Edict of Nantes.”

Submitting unwillingly 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 an edict at Fontainebleau revoking 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’exécution de l’Édit de Nantes dans le Dauphiné”

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

Ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and ushered in a century of relative interfaith peace known as the "Great Century". The edict was drawn up by order of the French king Henry IV of Bourbon and approved in Nantes (April 13, 1598). Abolished by Louis XIV in 1685.

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Provisions

The Edict of Nantes consisted of 93 articles and 36 secret decrees; the latter were not considered by parliaments and were not included in their protocols. Its publication was preceded by countless complaints from the Huguenots and the king's lengthy negotiations with them. No edict of the 16th century in Western Europe provided such extensive religious toleration as the Edict 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 Religious Wars and prohibited any mention of them.

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

The Catholic clergy was restored to all its former rights and estates. Calvinism was tolerated wherever it was before. All nobles who held the highest judicial positions had the right to perform Calvinist 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 areas where Catholic owners enjoyed the right of the supreme court.

Calvinist worship was formally prohibited 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, Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public positions. It was forbidden for religious reasons to disinherit relatives, attack Huguenots and induce 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 (consistories, synods), keep deputies at court to present petitions and complaints through Sully, Mornay and d'Aubigné. 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 Protestants of Provence and Burgundy.

The exiles were allowed to return to their homeland. 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them until 1597 (places de sûreté - places of security) were left in the power of the Huguenots for 8 years; the garrisons were maintained here at the expense of the king, and the commanders were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The king directly told the Huguenot delegation that the fortresses would be useful to them in the event of a possible repeal of the Edict of Nantes by his successors...

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

Henry IV, with great tact, persuaded the parliaments to include the edict in their protocols; only Rouen Parliament persisted until 1609. Having sealed the edict with the large state seal, Henry called it “eternal and irrevocable”, protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or expanding it temporarily, especially in relation to the period of fortresses belonging to the Huguenots.

Under Louis XIII

During the accession of Louis XIII, the regency approved the Edict of Nantes, decreeing that it must be “inviolably observed.” Although Richelieu deprived the Protestant party of its political influence, the principle of religious tolerance remained in force.

In 1629, in Alais, after the end of the local war with the Huguenots, the Edict of Nîmes was issued (fr. Paix d"Alès – Edict of grace ), repeating the articles of the Edict of Nantes. After the death of Louis XIII, a declaration was issued (July 8, 1643), in which Protestants were granted free and unrestricted practice of their religion and the Edict of Nantes was approved, but with the caveat: “as far as it turned out to be necessary.”

On April 13, 1598, at his castle in Nantes, the French king Henry IV of Bourbon issued an edict granting religious rights to the French Protestant Huguenots. The introduction of the new law ended the thirty-year period of the Wars of Religion in France and ushered in a century of relative interfaith peace known as the "Great Century".

The publication of the Edict of Nantes (l "édit de Nantes) was an extremely bold and far-sighted step on the part of Henry IV, who, like no one else, knew how harmful the religious split of French society was for the state. At the age of 18, he himself was a Huguenot and the king of Navarre , Henry almost died during the famous St. Bartholomew's Night in Paris (August 24, 1572), which happened a few days after his wedding to Margaret of Valois (Queen Margot) His entire path to the French throne consisted of continuous battles - even becoming formally king. France after the death of his brother-in-law Henry III of Valois in 1589, he was forced to fight for another five years after that, defending his right to the throne.

The emergence of the Edict of Nantes would have been completely impossible without the strengthening of royal power, which could only be achieved by force. The king had no other choice - having adopted Catholicism for the sake of the French crown, he did not gain the support of Catholics, but began to lose the loyalty of his Huguenot comrades. The instability of the new government quickly affected - Brittany rebelled, the Spaniards invaded the country, capturing Amiens. Therefore, having been crowned and entered Paris in 1594, Henry IV almost immediately went to a new war. Military happiness again did not betray the king: after four years of war, Brittany was conquered and the Spaniards were expelled. On April 13, 1598, Henry approved the Edict of Nantes, and on May 2 of the same year, the Peace of Vervins was concluded between France and Spain. After decades of civil war, peace finally came to France.

According to the provisions of the Edict of Nantes, Catholicism remained the dominant religion of France, but the Huguenots were granted freedom of religion and worship in cities (except Paris and some others) and a number of rural areas. Huguenots received the right to occupy judicial, administrative and military positions. At the parliaments of Paris, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Grenoble, special chambers were created to examine legal cases of the Huguenots. Half of the composition of these chambers was composed of Huguenots. The Edict allowed the Huguenots to convene their own conferences and synods.

The government pledged to help the Huguenots with subsidies for schools and churches. In addition, the Huguenots were granted a number of political, judicial and military privileges: they were allowed to convene periodic meetings (consistories, synods), keep deputies at court to present petitions and complaints to the king through his ministers Sully, Mornay and d'Aubigné. In Paris, a court 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 Protestants of Provence and Burgundy.

The exiles were allowed to return to their homeland. In addition, the Edict of Nantes contained secret additional articles. In particular, 200 fortresses and fortified castles that belonged to them before 1597 (places de sûreté) were left in the power of the Huguenots for 8 years; garrisons were maintained here at the expense of the king, and the commanders were subordinate to the Huguenots. The main fortresses were: La Rochelle, Saumur and Montauban. The far-sighted monarch bluntly stated to the Huguenot deputation that the fortresses would be useful to them in the event of a possible repeal of the Edict of Nantes by his successors.

The new law was received with hostility by the Catholic clergy, led by the Pope, who called the edict “impious.” Radical Huguenots also tried to torpedo him, accusing the king of apostasy and defending Catholicism. So it took Henry IV great effort to convince the regional parliaments to include the edict in their protocols. Which, however, he succeeded in, although with one exception: the Parliament of Rouen persisted until 1609. Having sealed the edict with the large state seal, Henry called it “eternal and irrevocable”, protected it from misinterpretations, sometimes limiting it or expanding it temporarily, especially in relation to the period of fortresses belonging to the Huguenots.

However, nothing is eternal in the world. After the war with the Huguenots of 1625-1629 under Louis XIII, La Rochelle fell and the secret articles of the Edict of Nantes were canceled (the peace treaty of Alais in 1629). And in 1685, King Louis XIV of Bourbon completely revoked the Edict of Nantes.

Provisions

The Edict of Nantes granted full equality to Catholics and Protestants. The first article of the edict consigned to oblivion the events of the Religious Wars and prohibited 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 erased, as if nothing had happened. Neither our attorney generals nor any other persons, public or private, will be allowed to ever mention this for any reason...

- "Edict of Nantes"

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

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

In order not to give any cause for unrest and strife among our subjects, we have allowed and allow those who profess the so-called reformed religion to live and dwell in all the cities and places of our kingdom and the regions subject to them, without persecution or coercion, to do anything in the matter of religion that is contrary to their conscience ; they will not be searched for this reason in the houses and places where they wish to live...

- "Edict of Nantes"

Calvinist worship was formally prohibited 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, Huguenots could have churches, bells, schools, and hold public positions. For religious reasons, it was forbidden to disinherit relatives, attack Huguenots, and induce 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 (consistories, synods), keep deputies at court to present petitions and complaints through Sully, Mornay and d'Aubigné. A court chamber (Chambre de l'Edit) was established in Paris for the Protestants of Normandy and Brittany, in Castres for the Toulouse district, in Bordeaux and Grenoble - mixed chambers (Chambres miparties), for the Protestants of Provence and Burgundy.

Under Louis XIII

Literature

// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Élie Benoit, “Histoire de l’Édit de Nantes”;
Bernard, "Explication de l'Édit de Nantes" (H., 1666);
Meynier, “De l’exécution 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 à Rouen” (Rouen, 1885);
Vaillant, “La Révocation 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:

Legislation on religion
Freedom of conscience
Reformation
History of Calvinism
Appeared in 1598
Law of the old regime in France

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See what the “Edict of Nantes” is in other dictionaries:

1598, a law issued by the French king Henry IV of Bourbon (see HENRY IV Bourbon); finally completed the Wars of Religion (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... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

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

Edict of Nantes- (Nantes, Edict of) (1598), published in French. King Henry IV, ended the Wars of Religion in France. Signed in Nantes, a port city at the mouth of the river. Loire, Western France. The Edict defined religion. and citizen rights of the Huguenots, granted them freedom... ... World history

EDICT OF NANTES- The 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 religion and worship in cities (except ... ... Legal encyclopedia

1598 published by the French king Henry IV, finally ending the Wars of Religion. According to the Edict of Nantes, Catholicism remained the dominant religion, but the Huguenots were granted freedom of religion and worship in cities (except Paris and... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

See Edict of Nantes... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron

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

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In the 2nd half of the 16th century. France entered a period of political crisis, the manifestation of which was religious (civil) wars, which lasted with short respites for 32 years (1562-1594). The confessional banners of these wars - Catholicism and Calvinism - hid their socio-political essence. The reason for the religious wars lay in the change in the political system and traditional forms of relations in society in connection with the formation of absolutism. The reason was the situation that developed in France shortly after the end of the Italian wars. The tension and oppositional sentiments associated with the strengthening of absolutism did not manifest themselves particularly sharply while the wars were going on: the nobility largely fed on them, the “restless” social elements were absorbed by military mercenaries, the townspeople and peasants hoped for an easier situation after the victory. Peace at Cateau-Cambresis (1559), which summed up the results that proved fruitless for France. By the middle of the 16th century. The consequences of the “price revolution” and the severity of the tax burden became more noticeable.

First period of religious wars: 1562-1570. At this time the struggle was not fierce. Both feudal factions sought to capture the king and rule in his name. Second period: 1572-1576. It was distinguished by large-scale military operations; in addition, Huguenots and Catholics began to oppose the ruling dynasty. On the night of August 24, 1572 - the feast of St. Bartholomew - Catholic nobles and the Parisian crowd killed several hundred Huguenots from among the Parisians and nobles who arrived in Paris from the provinces on the occasion of the marriage of Charles IX's sister Margaret of Valois and the Huguen leader Henry of Navarre.

Third period: 1580-1594. The last period of the religious wars was characterized by Henry III's search for a way out of the crisis by taking unpopular measures that aggravated an already difficult situation, as well as the appearance on the political arena of Henry of Navarre as the leader of the Huguenots, the activation of the Catholic League and the formation of the League of Paris, and, finally, the death of the king. In August 1589, he was stabbed to death by the Dominican friar Jacques Clément, who had sneaked into his military camp. The period of anarchy that began became no less difficult than previous years. France was devastated by noble troops and foreign mercenaries. Spanish King PhilipII in 1592 brought his garrison to Paris from the Netherlands. Uprisings broke out in many cities, and the peasantry also began to move. The country was on the verge of a national catastrophe. The army launched its decisive actions Henry of Navarre, in mid-1598, approached Paris and began a siege, burning all the mills in the vicinity and dismantling the bridges. Paris resisted for about three months: the city's military forces were superior to the army of Henry of Navarre. The assembly of the Catholic League continued to work in the city, and the issue of succession to the throne was discussed. This circumstance prompted Henry of Navarre to decide to accept Catholicism: “Paris was worth the mass.” The solemn renunciation of Calvinism took place in July 1593 in the Cathedral of Saint-Denis, followed by a coronation in Chartres in February 1594. Henry of Bourbon, King of Navarre, became King of France under the name of HenryIV (1594-1610). The Bourbon dynasty established itself on the throne. A month later, in March 1594, Henry IV entered Paris. Henry IV made the wise decision not to persecute his opponents or confiscate their property.

Henry IV tried first of all to resolve the confessional conflict.

The guarantee of peace in post-war France was Edict of Nantes, promulgated by Henry IV in 1598. The decree declared the Gallican Church as official. At the same time, becoming a reflection of the internal policy of the monarchy, it pursued the goal of resolving religious and political problems. The edict declared the rights to position, property, education, court, and medical care. The implementation of these rights was not the same for Catholics and Protestants. The Edict territorially limited the rights of Protestants to worship: prayer services could be held in strictly designated places, from which Paris, all major cities and episcopal residences were excluded. Protestants could educate their children only in their own schools, colleges and universities, which were allowed to be built in their places of worship. They could not use hospitals, because the latter were under the auspices of the Catholic Church. Protestants were allowed to exercise their right to trial only in special chambers created under provincial parliaments. Protestants, as subjects of the crown, were also obliged to pay church tithes to the Gallican Church. From a political point of view, the Edict of Nantes was intended to help strengthen local power. The Crown sought to use judicial chambers, staffed by proxies from among Catholics and Protestants. In addition, the widespread effect of the Edict of Nantes, starting in 1598, deprived the nobility of the right at their own discretion to solve the confessional problem in their seigneuries. Henry IV took an important step towards turning the feudal lords, who had previously enjoyed such a significant privilege, into royal subjects. At the same time, Henry IV was forced to make significant concessions to the Protestants. The flexibility of his political course in the interests of peace consisted in granting Protestants the right to preserve the fortified cities and fortifications they had occupied since the formation of the Huguenot Confederation. This right was complained of as a “royal favor” for 8 years, after which it had to be extended or canceled.