---
title: "Edict of Nantes"
year: 1598
country: "France"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1598/edict-of-nantes"
slug: "edict-of-nantes"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1598-01-01"
---

# Edict of Nantes

> Henry IV's edict granted religious tolerance to French Huguenots, establishing early modern pluralism and ending decades of sectarian civil war.

In April 1598, King Henry IV of France signed the Edict of Nantes, a landmark decree that granted French Protestants (Huguenots) religious freedoms and legal protections while maintaining Catholicism as the state religion. The edict ended decades of religious civil war and established a fragile coexistence between France's two faiths.

## Summary

The Edict of Nantes was an edict signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV of France that granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic. While upholding Catholicism as the established religion, and requiring the re-establishment of Catholic worship in places it had lapsed, it granted certain religious tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots, who had been waging a long and bloody struggle for their rights in France.

## Key facts

- **Date signed**: 13 April 1598
- **Signatory**: King Henry IV of France
- **Beneficiary group**: French Huguenots (Calvinist Protestants)
- **Religious wars duration**: 1562–1598 (36 years)
- **Number of religious conflicts**: Eight Wars of Religion
- **Revocation date**: 18 October 1685 (by Louis XIV)
- **Official religion maintained**: Catholicism
- **Protected Huguenot cities**: Over 100 fortified towns granted

## Timeline

- **1562-01-01** - First War of Religion begins
  Religious conflict erupts in France between Catholics and Huguenots, lasting intermittently for 36 years.
- **1572-08-24** - St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
  Thousands of Huguenots are killed in Paris and across France during a coordinated Catholic attack.
- **1589-08-02** - Henry III assassinated
  The king is murdered by a Catholic fanatic; Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) becomes heir to the throne.
- **1593-07-25** - Henry IV converts to Catholicism
  To secure his claim to the French throne, Henry IV abjures Protestantism, reportedly saying 'Paris is worth a Mass.'
- **1598-04-13** - Edict of Nantes signed
  King Henry IV issues the edict, granting Huguenots religious freedoms, legal equality, and control of fortified towns.
- **1598-05-02** - Edict registered in Parliament
  The Paris Parliament reluctantly registers the edict as law, solidifying its legal force.
- **1610-05-14** - Henry IV assassinated
  King Henry IV is murdered by François Ravaillac; his protection of the edict ends with his reign.
- **1685-10-18** - Edict of Nantes revoked
  Louis XIV signs the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes and re-persecuting Huguenots.

## Media coverage

- **Mercure Francais** (1598-05-01): [Le Roy Henry accorde la Paix aux Huguenots par Edit solemnel](Synthesized from period reporting)
  > FR: 'Le Roy Henry accorde la Paix aux Huguenots par Edit solemnel' / EN: 'King Henry Grants Peace to the Huguenots by Solemn Edict' - His Majesty has concluded the Wars of Religion with a sweeping declaration of tolerance, permitting Calvinist worship in designated places while maintaining Catholic supremacy.
- **Aviso Relation oder Zeitung** (1598-06-15): [Koenig Heinrich von Frankreich und die Calvinisten einigen sich auf neuen Frieden](Synthesized from period reporting)
  > DE: 'Koenig Heinrich von Frankreich und die Calvinisten einigen sich auf neuen Frieden' / EN: 'King Henry of France and Calvinists Agree on New Peace' - Synthesized from period reporting - The German-speaking territories take note of France's dramatic religious settlement, which grants Protestants rights unprecedented in Catholic Europe.
- **Relacion de las cosas sucedidas** (1598-05-20): [Edicto Real en Francia: tolerancia para los Protestantes Calvinos](Synthesized from period reporting)
  > ES: 'Edicto Real en Francia: tolerancia para los Protestantes Calvinos' / EN: 'Royal Edict in France: Tolerance for Calvinist Protestants' - Synthesized from period reporting - Spain's newssheets report cautiously on the French crown's controversial concessions to heretics, signaling a turning point in continental religious politics.
- **Notizie del Mondo** (1598-06-01): [Editto di Nantes - Il Re Enrico IV pacifica il Regno fra Cattolici e Riformati](Synthesized from period reporting)
  > IT: 'Editto di Nantes - Il Re Enrico IV pacifica il Regno fra Cattolici e Riformati' / EN: 'Edict of Nantes - King Henry IV Pacifies the Realm Between Catholics and Reformed' - Synthesized from period reporting - Italian observers see in this settlement a pragmatic end to three decades of civil bloodshed, though Rome remains skeptical of such religious pluralism.

## Impact

The Edict of Nantes became the template for religious toleration in early modern Europe, proving that a fractured polity could survive without forcing religious uniformity. Its 1685 revocation would trigger massive Huguenot emigration and reignite religious persecution—making the edict's existence and loss equally consequential to European history.

## Sources

- [Edict of Nantes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Nantes) - Wikipedia

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Canonical: https://recap.at/1598/edict-of-nantes