Edict of Nantes

A date that will not sit still

At Nantes in 1598, Henry IV approved a negotiated legal framework for coexistence between France's Catholic majority and its Calvinist minority.

The traditional date is 13 April, still used by many reference works. Research associated with Jean-Louis Bourgeon argues that the state of negotiations made 13 April impossible and identifies 30 April as the likely signing or promulgation date; Nantes's municipal history service adopts 30 April.

Part of the difficulty is that the surviving record is a dossier, not one document: general articles, particular or secret articles, and temporary royal brevets carry different dates.

What it granted, and what it withheld

The edict guaranteed freedom of conscience, permitted Reformed worship only in specified places, made Protestants eligible for offices, and provided special judicial arrangements for cases involving them.

Catholic worship and property were to be restored everywhere, while Protestant public worship stayed geographically restricted. The settlement privileged Catholicism rather than establishing equality between the confessions.

Fortified towns, and ten months of resistance

A connected brevet — temporary, and separate from the general articles — allowed Huguenots to retain designated fortified places for eight years and promised royal funding for their garrisons, set at 180,000 écus a year excluding a separate provision for Dauphiné.

None of it took effect nationwide at once. The sovereign courts had to register the text, and the Parlement of Paris registered a modified version only on 25 February 1599; some provincial parlements delayed considerably longer.