Edict of Nantes Worksheets
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Summary
- Religious tension in 16th-century France
- French Wars of Religion
- Henry IV’s conquest of the kingdom
- Proclamation of the Edict of Nantes
Key Facts And Information
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Tensions between Protestants and Catholics intensified in the early 1560s. The French Wars of Religion soon broke out and lasted for three decades, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The armed conflict ended following the successful conquest of Henry IV of France of his kingdom and the issuance of the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted a large measure of religious liberty to French Huguenots and asserted Catholicism as the established religion in France.
Edict of Nantes
Religious tension in 16th-century France
- The Protestant Reformation, initiated by figures like Martin Luther and John Calvin, led to the spread of Protestantism throughout Europe, including France. In the 1560s, French Protestants represented a significant minority. France remained predominantly Catholic at the time. Religious division was evident, as tensions between Protestants and Catholics increased.
- The religious and political situation grew worse after Henry II of France died from an injury in 1559, leading to the succession to the French throne of his 15-year-old son, Francis II.
- As the new king was sickly and inexperienced and appeared to lack the ability to control, political power struggles emerged among the French nobility.
- Powerful Catholic families, like the House of Guise and the House of Montmorency, fought against Protestant families, like the House of Condé and the House of Bourbon. Both parties were backed by external powers, with Spain and Savoy assisting the Catholics, and England and the Dutch Republic supporting the Protestants.
- In 1560, a group of Protestant nobles attempted to weaken the influence of the Guise by capturing the young Francis II.
- The scheme, which became known as the Amboise Conspiracy, was discovered before it could happen. This resulted in the execution of hundreds of suspected plotters.
- The term ‘Huguenot’ came into widespread use to refer to the French Protestants following the plot.
- Protestant iconoclasm or the destruction of images and statues in Catholic churches began in Rouen and La Rochelle shortly thereafter. This carried on throughout 1561 in more than 20 cities and towns, prompting attacks on Protestants by angry Catholic crowds in several places.
A depiction of the Amboise Conspiracy
- Francis II died in 1560, and so his nine-year-old brother Charles IX became king. Their mother Catherine de’ Medici served as regent during the new king’s minority.
- As she was caught between two factions, Catherine sought to keep both parties in check and avoid outright civil war, while maintaining royal authority.
- In 1561, she instituted conciliatory measures such as the Edict of 19 April 1561 and the Edict of July. Catholicism was proclaimed as the state religion, while previous measures reducing penalties for Protestants were confirmed.
- In 1562, Catherine passed the Edict of Saint-Germain with the intention to quell mounting unrest in the provinces. The edict allowed for Protestant worship in public outside towns and in private inside them.
- This was followed by religious violence, leading to the outbreak of the French Wars of Religion in April 1562. These were a part of a larger religious struggle in Europe during the Reformation.
French Wars of Religion
- The French Wars of Religion were a series of violent conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots in France that lasted from 1562 to 1598. The conflict was triggered by the Massacre at Vassy. A confrontation between Catholics and Protestants, sparked by a dispute over the use of a barn for Protestant service, led to the massacre of around 50 Huguenots by the Catholic troops. The murder of Huguenot worshippers and citizens set off a cycle of armed retaliation between Catholics and Huguenots.
Key events of the French Wars of Religion:
The First War of Religion (1562–63)
- It was characterised by skirmishes, with both sides gaining and losing control over various regions.
- After months of conflict, a temporary peace agreement known as the Edict of Amboise was signed in 1563, with both sides agreeing to a truce.
- Despite this, the underlying religious and political tensions remained unresolved.
The Second War of Religion (1567–68)
- Fighting resumed when Protestant forces attempted to seize and take control of Charles IX in the Surprise of Meaux. Although the Huguenots initially made progress, the Catholic forces were able to repel them, and a second truce called Peace of Longjumeau was reached in 1568.
- The conflict continued with occasional outbreaks of violence, showing how fragile peace was between the two sides.
The Third War of Religion (1568–70)
- After only five months of peace, the civil war in France was reignited. This time, each side benefited from foreign assistance.
- The Protestants were allied to the Prince of Orange and Elizabeth I of England, while the Catholics were backed by Philip II of Spain, the Pope and the Duke of Tuscany.
- Battles were fought mainly in the districts of Poitou, Saintonge and Guyenne, with the Catholics achieving two major victories. These two setbacks did not discourage the Huguenots.
- The enormous royal debt and Charles IX’s desire to find a peaceful solution resulted in the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1570, which once more granted some concessions to the Huguenots.
St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)
- On 24 August 1572, one of the bloodiest and most infamous events of the French Wars of Religion occurred on St Bartholomew’s Day. In Paris, Catherine de’ Medici and the Catholic factions orchestrated the massacre of thousands of Huguenots who had come to the city for the wedding of the Catholic Margaret of Valois, Charles IX’s sister, and the Protestant Henry of Navarre.
- It is believed that around 10,000 Huguenots were killed across France. The St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre caused outrage among Protestants throughout Europe and significantly weakened Huguenot opposition to the French crown. It further deepened the animosity between Catholics and Protestants.
Death of Charles IX and the Sixth War of Religion (1574–76)
- After the death of Charles IX in 1574, Catherine declared herself regent until her son, the successor to the throne, returned to France. Henry III was crowned in 1575.
- By 1576, the new king was forced to sign the Peace of Monsieur, allowing Huguenots limited rights to practise their faith and hold political offices in certain towns.
- The truce was fragile, and tensions remained high, especially as the House of Guise and other Catholic factions pushed for a return to full Catholic dominance.
War of the Three Henrys (1585–89)
- Henry III had no son, and so his younger brother, Francis, Duke of Anjou, was the heir presumptive.
- Francis’ death in 1584 made Henry of Navarre heir to the throne. This was considered unacceptable as he was a Protestant.
- The three-way war broke out between Henry III, Henry of Navarre (leader of the Huguenots) and Henry of Lorraine (leader of the Catholic League).
- It began when the Catholic League pressured Henry III to issue the Treaty of Nemours in 1585, which outlawed Protestantism and annulled Henry of Navarre’s right to the throne. The situation deteriorated into open warfare.
- By 1588, Henry of Lorraine had successfully turned Paris against Henry III for his failure to take down the Protestants and unite France as a Catholic nation. Parisians soon revolted against Henry III, barricading the streets of the city to protect Henry of Lorraine.
- Henry III was forced to flee to Blois, and Catherine de’ Medici negotiated a peace with Henry of Lorraine and the Catholic League.
- Henry III summoned a meeting at Blois, where he had Henry of Lorraine assassinated. Consequently, the Catholic League now condemned the king as a Protestant sympathiser and demanded his execution. With nowhere else to turn, Henry III allied with Henry of Navarre.
- In July 1589, a Dominican friar acting on orders of the Catholic League assassinated Henry III, leaving Henry of Navarre the only one left standing. However, armed conflict persisted.
- Henry IV succeeded to the throne, becoming the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon.
Henry IV’s conquest of the kingdom
- Whilst Henry IV was now legally the king of France, fierce Catholic opposition remained, aided by Spain and the Pope. In fact, the new king was excommunicated by Pope Sixtus V and was proclaimed ineligible to inherit the crown. Many in France did not recognise the legitimacy of his succession, and he had no control over the northern and eastern parts of his kingdom.
- With the help of German forces and English funding, Henry IV was resolved to assert his position and began the process of gaining his kingdom by force.
- He won a series of decisive battles against the forces of the Catholic League but could not take Paris after besieging it in 1590.
- Around the same time, the Catholic League was split in selecting their new candidate to the French throne. Despite these setbacks, Henry IV was still unable to take control of Paris.
- In 1593, Henry IV renounced Protestantism and converted to Catholicism in order to secure his position as king. It is thought that he declared ‘Paris is well worth a Mass’.
- This political move enabled him to secure the allegiance of the Catholic majority, but earned the resentment of the Huguenots and his ally Elizabeth I.
- In 1594, Henry IV was officially crowned at the Cathedral of Chartres. The excommunication was lifted the following year.
- By the end of 1594, certain members of the Catholic League, with Spanish support, still opposed Henry IV. In 1595, Henry IV declared war on Spain, with the intention to recapture huge parts of northern France from the Franco-Spanish Catholic forces. The conflict mainly involved military action aimed at League members. The Spanish were able to win some battles. Following the Spanish capture of Amiens in 1597, Henry IV laid siege until its surrender. In 1598, by means of the Treaty of Vervins, he ensured the departure of the Spanish troops.
Depiction of the entrance of Henry IV in Paris, 1594
Proclamation of the Edict of Nantes
- By 1598, Henry IV was now secure in his position as king, but was faced with the task of re-establishing a ravaged and impoverished kingdom under his sole authority. He saw the need to negotiate religious toleration to Huguenots, leading to the signing of the Edict of Nantes in April 1598.
- Key provisions of the Edict of Nantes:
- Huguenots were allowed to practise their religion in certain towns and cities. They could also hold worship services in private.
- Huguenots were allowed to hold public office, serve in the military, and engage in certain specified trades and professions.
- Huguenots were permitted to fortify towns and cities as protection from Catholic aggression, as well as maintain their own military forces.
- Huguenots held the right to maintain their own schools and universities, and to receive government funding for them.
- Catholicism remained as the established religion of France, and Catholic holidays and restrictions were to be respected.
- The edict was centred on peaceful Protestant and Catholic coexistence and made no mention of other religions. It marked the end of armed conflict during the French Wars of Religion.
- Henry IV had to personally visit the Parlement in Paris to have the edict signed and sealed.
- Meanwhile, the provincial parlements, Pope Clement VIII and the Roman Catholic clergy in France, opposed the edict. In fact, the Parlement of Rouen registered the edict only in 1609.
- Religious tensions proceeded to impact politics in the following years. The edict remained unaltered for many years, but its implementation varied under the rule of Henry IV’s successors. In 1685, Louis XIV of France, Henry IV’s grandson, revoked the edict through the Edict of Fontainebleau, declaring Protestantism illegal.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Edict of Nantes
- What was the Edict of Nantes?
It was a law issued in 1598 by King Henry IV of France that granted religious freedom to French Protestants (Huguenots).
- Why was the Edict of Nantes important?
It ended decades of religious wars in France and allowed Protestants to worship freely in certain areas, promoting peace and tolerance.
- What rights did the Edict of Nantes give to Huguenots?
It allowed them to worship publicly in specific areas, hold public office, and run schools and hospitals.