# Canonical recap data for Edict of Nantes (1598)
# Source: https://recap.at/1598/edict-of-nantes
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: edict-of-nantes
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1598/edict-of-nantes"
title: Edict of Nantes
aliases:
- Edict of Nantes
- Henry IV's Edict
- Nantes Decree
subtitle: Henry IV's edict granted religious tolerance to French Huguenots, establishing early modern pluralism and ending decades of sectarian civil war.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1598-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1598
decade: 1590
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: 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 C
summaryLong: 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.
lede: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Edit_de_nantes.jpg/1280px-Edit_de_nantes.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Edict of Nantes"
importance: 81
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Date signed
  value: 13 April 1598
- label: Signatory
  value: King Henry IV of France
- label: Beneficiary group
  value: French Huguenots (Calvinist Protestants)
- label: Religious wars duration
  value: 1562–1598 (36 years)
- label: Number of religious conflicts
  value: Eight Wars of Religion
- label: Revocation date
  value: 18 October 1685 (by Louis XIV)
- label: Official religion maintained
  value: Catholicism
- label: Protected Huguenot cities
  value: Over 100 fortified towns granted
timeline:
- date: 1562-01-01
  title: First War of Religion begins
  description: Religious conflict erupts in France between Catholics and Huguenots, lasting intermittently for 36 years.
- date: 1572-08-24
  title: St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
  description: Thousands of Huguenots are killed in Paris and across France during a coordinated Catholic attack.
- date: 1589-08-02
  title: Henry III assassinated
  description: The king is murdered by a Catholic fanatic; Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV) becomes heir to the throne.
- date: 1593-07-25
  title: Henry IV converts to Catholicism
  description: To secure his claim to the French throne, Henry IV abjures Protestantism, reportedly saying 'Paris is worth a Mass.'
- date: 1598-04-13
  title: Edict of Nantes signed
  description: King Henry IV issues the edict, granting Huguenots religious freedoms, legal equality, and control of fortified towns.
- date: 1598-05-02
  title: Edict registered in Parliament
  description: The Paris Parliament reluctantly registers the edict as law, solidifying its legal force.
- date: 1610-05-14
  title: Henry IV assassinated
  description: King Henry IV is murdered by François Ravaillac; his protection of the edict ends with his reign.
- date: 1685-10-18
  title: Edict of Nantes revoked
  description: Louis XIV signs the Edict of Fontainebleau, revoking the Edict of Nantes and re-persecuting Huguenots.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Nantes"
  title: Edict of Nantes
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: 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.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: religious
eventTypes:
- interfaith_summit
- ideological_manifesto
canonicalClasses:
- transformation
- conflict
- governance
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: King Henry IV's 1598 edict granted French Protestants legal rights and religious freedoms, ending civil war.
wikidataQid: Q179788
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260606095544/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Nantes"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-06
  label: Edict of Nantes
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Nantes"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Mercure Francais
  publisherSlug: mercure-francais
  headline: Le Roy Henry accorde la Paix aux Huguenots par Edit solemnel
  publishedAt: 1598-05-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Aviso Relation oder Zeitung
  publisherSlug: aviso-relation-zeitung
  headline: Koenig Heinrich von Frankreich und die Calvinisten einigen sich auf neuen Frieden
  publishedAt: 1598-06-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: Holy Roman Empire
- publisher: Relacion de las cosas sucedidas
  publisherSlug: relacion-cosas-sucedidas
  headline: "Edicto Real en Francia: tolerancia para los Protestantes Calvinos"
  publishedAt: 1598-05-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: Spain
- publisher: Notizie del Mondo
  publisherSlug: notizie-mondo
  headline: Editto di Nantes - Il Re Enrico IV pacifica il Regno fra Cattolici e Riformati
  publishedAt: 1598-06-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 70
  type: newspaper
  region: Italy
