
Who did Louis XIV persecute? It granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a predominately Catholic nation. The Edict gained a new significance when Louis XIV broke the post-Nantes tradition of relative religious tolerance in France and, in his efforts to fully centralize the royal power, began to persecute the Protestants.
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What happened to Protestants in France after Louis XIV died?
Protestantism continued to be suppressed in France until the death of Louis XIV in 1715. As Louis XV was only 5 years old when he became king, France came under the rule of a regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (in office: 1715-1723). The Regent had little interest in continuing the persecution of Protestants.
What was the persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. French king Louis XV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1730. The persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV refers to hostile activities against French Protestants between 1715 and 1774 during the reign of Louis XV.
What religious movements did Louis XVI persecute?
Louis also persecuted a movement known as Quietism. This was a mystical movement that originated in Spain and Italy. In France it was led by Madame de Guynon. The movement put its emphasis on a total love of God which made ceremonies and religious works unnecessary.
What was the religion of King Louis XVI of France?
Historically, France had experienced a great deal of turmoil regarding religion. The French Wars of Religion had torn France apart and had threatened the monarchy as an institution. Louis himself was a strong believer that the Roman Catholic Church was an essential tool within France of maintaining control over the people.

What did Louis XIV do to Protestants?
Louis XIV and Religion With the Edict of Fontainebleau, Louis ordered the destruction of Protestant churches, the closure of Protestant schools and the expulsion of Protestant clergy. Protestants would be barred from assembling and their marriages would be deemed invalid.
What happened to Protestants in France?
Protestants were granted a degree of religious freedom following the Edict of Nantes, but it ceased with the Edict of Fontainebleau. The Protestant minority was persecuted, and a majority of Huguenots fled the country, leaving isolated communities like the one in the Cevennes region, which survives to this day.
Which religious group did Louis XIV persecute during his rule?
They retained the religious provisions of the Edict of Nantes until the rule of Louis XIV, who gradually increased persecution of Protestantism until he issued the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685).
What was the result of Louis XIV persecution of the Huguenots?
In 1685 Louis XIV enacted the Edict of Fontainebleau, which replaced the Edict of St. Germain and made Protestantism illegal. More bloodshed ensued, and over the next several years, more than 200,000 Huguenots fled France for other countries.
How many Protestants were killed in France?
An estimated 3,000 French Protestants were killed in Paris, and as many as 70,000 in all of France. The massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day marked the resumption of religious civil war in France.
How did France respond to the Protestant Reformation?
The Reformation movement then gained rapidly in France until 1562, when a long series of civil wars began in France and the Huguenots (French Protestants) alternately gained and lost. During this period of strife the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day occurred (1572), and several thousand Huguenots were murdered.
Is France Protestant or Catholic?
Chronological statisticsReligious groupPopulation % 1986Population % 2010–Catholicism81%64%–Protestantism1%3%–Other and unaffiliated Christians--Islam--4 more rows
What was the Protestant Reformation?
The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine.
How did King Louis XIV's treatment of the Huguenots hurt France?
How did this policy hurt France? Louis viewed the religious freedom of the Huguenots as a threat. So he issued a series of over 125 documents limited the liberties of the Huguenots. He basically destroyed all of their rights, and as a result, about half a million Protestants and skilled Huguenots fled France.
When were the French Huguenots persecuted?
The persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV refers to hostile activities against French Protestants between 1715 and 1774 during the reign of Louis XV.
Why did Louis XIV revoke the Edict?
The French Roman Catholic clergy, however, could not accept the Huguenots and worked to deprive them of their rights. General harassment and the forcible conversion of thousands of Protestants were rampant for many years. Finally, on Oct. 18, 1685, Louis XIV pronounced the revocation of the Edict of Nantes.
What did Louis XIV believe about religion?
Louis XIV held simple views regarding religion that dated back to Francis I – that the king controlled the Catholic Church and that the Church should do his biding. This brought Louis into clashes with various popes but they could not take on one of Europe’s most powerful monarchs and Louis got his way regarding religion.
What did Louis XIV see as unorthodoxy?
Louis viewed unorthodoxy as divisive and a possible/probable source of rebellion. Louis used a similar policy in the Church as he did in political appointments. Louis ignored the Noblesse de Blood when it came to church appointments and appointed men from the Noblesse de Robe.
What policy did Louis XIV embark on to bring the Huguenots back to the Catholic Church?
To start with Louis embarked on a policy to bring the Huguenots back to the Catholic Church. The terms of the Edict of Nantes were strictly enforced (for decades they had not been) and decrees were issued which made it more and more difficult for a Huguenot to get a job in any of the professions.
What happened in 1685?
Finally in October 1685, Louis revoked the Edict of Nantes and introduced the Edict of Fontainebleau. This made Protestantism illegal. As a result, 200,000 Huguenots fled the country. Their loss was badly felt as many of these people had a great deal to offer the economy of France.
How many Huguenots were there in 1643?
Louis was less tolerant of the Huguenots. When Louis became king in 1643, there may have been as many as 2 million Huguenots in France.
What was the French war of religion?
The French Wars of Religion had torn France apart and had threatened the monarchy as an institution. Louis himself was a strong believer that the Roman Catholic Church was an essential tool within France of maintaining control over the people. Louis wanted religious uniformity enforced.
When were the nuns at the convents put under guard?
In 1664, the chief nuns at both convents were arrested and the convents were put under a military guard. In later years, the nuns who remained at both convents were forcibly moved to other convents that were known to be anti-Jansenist. In 1710, Louis ordered the destruction of the convent at Port-Royal des Champs.
What was the Protestant Church in France in the 17th century?
These French Protestants were known as Huguenots.
When did Henry IV of France convert to Catholicism?
Henry of Navarre ascended the throne in 1589, becoming Henry IV of France, and converted to Catholicism in 1593 as a way of consolidating his power. This ensured the favour of the majority of his subjects, but aroused the suspicion and dismay of the Huguenots.
What was the first act of tolerance in France?
A small act of tolerance towards Protestantism in France came in January 1562 with the Edict of St Germain – delivered by Catherine de Medici, France’s regent and mother of Charles IX, who was then 11 years old. The edict was a decree of tolerance that recognised the rights of Huguenots to worship, providing that they did so in private, not within towns, and not at night. But less than two months later, on 1 March, Francis, Duke of Guise, sent his troops to the town of Vassy, where a group of Huguenots were worshipping in a barn.
What was the name of the edict that guaranteed the Huguenots their religious privileges?
An uneasy peace was reached in March 1563 with the Edict of Amboise, which guaranteed the Huguenots their religious privileges. Your guide to Martin Luther, the theologian who launched the Reformation.
Why did the Royal Council of the Huguenots kill thousands of Huguenots?
The Royal Council met and hatched a plan to assassinate some of the Huguenot leaders to prevent what they deemed a Protestant takeover – thousands of Huguenots were killed in Paris during what is now known as the St Bartholomew’s Day massacre, with violence spreading across the country over the following weeks.
Which treaty allowed the Huguenots to keep their fortresses at Montauban and La Rochell
The Treaty of Montpellier was signed later that year, which allowed the Huguenots to keep their fortresses at Montauban and La Rochelle, but ordered the one at Montpellier and the royal stronghold of Fort Louis, just outside La Rochelle, to be dismantled. Mary Tudor: brutal but brilliant.
When was the Huguenot rebellion published?
This competition is now closed. Published: December 4, 2020 at 9:00 am. At a General Assembly in La Rochelle on 25 December 1620, after decades of persecution and discrimination, ...
What was the persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. French king Louis XV by Hyacinthe Rigaud, 1730. The persecution of Huguenots under Louis XV refers to hostile activities against French Protestants between 1715 and 1774 during the reign of Louis XV .
How many ministers were executed in Louis XIV's reign?
According to Antoine Court, eight ministers were executed in this period. This was a much lower rate than had occurred during the later part of Louis XIV's reign. Toulon was the centre where most of the men committed to the galleys for religious crimes served their sentences.
What were the penalties for preaching?
The penalties for preaching or attending a Protestant assembly were severe: life terms in the galleys for men, imprisonment for women, and confiscation of all property were common. Beginning in 1702, a group of Protestants in the region of the Cévennes mountains, known as Camisards, revolted against the government.
How old was Louis XV when he became king?
As Louis XV was only 5 years old when he became king, France came under the rule of a regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (in office: 1715-1723). The Regent had little interest in continuing the persecution of Protestants. While the kingdom's laws did not change, their application diminished.
Where did discrimination take place in France?
Serious discrimination took place only where the local authorities were strict and loyal to the edict. It mostly occurred in southern France, especially in the dioceses of Nîmes and Uzès, and in Dauphiné.
Who stripped the Huguenots of their religious freedom?
Later, following renewed warfare, they were stripped of their political and military privileges by Louis XIII, but retained their religious freedoms.
When was the King's law promulgated?
The King promulgated a law on 14 May 1724 : Of all the grand designs of our most honoured lord and great-grandfather, there is none that we have more at heart to carry out than that which he conceived, of entirely extinguishing heresy in his kingdom.
What was the name of the French edict that made Protestantism illegal?
Edict of Fontainebleau. In 1685 Louis XIV enacted the Edict of Fontainebleau, which replaced the Edict of St. Germain and made Protestantism illegal. More bloodshed ensued, and over the next several years, more than 200,000 Huguenots fled France for other countries.
What was the French war of religion?
French Wars of Religion. The Massacre of Vassy sparked off decades of violence known as the French Wars of Religion. In April 1562, Protestants took control of Orleans and massacred Huguenots in Sens and Tours. In Toulouse, a riot resulted in the deaths of up to 3,000 people, many of them Huguenots. The battling continued into February of 1563 ...
What was the Edict of St. Germain?
Edict of St. Germain. In January 1562, the Edict of St. Germain recognized the right of Huguenots to practice their religion , though with limits. Huguenots were not permitted to practice within towns or at night, and in an effort to sate fears of rebellion, they were not allowed to be armed.
When did the Huguenots convert to Catholicism?
When King Louis XIV ascended the French throne in 1643, persecution of the Huguenots began again, escalating to the point that he directed troops to seize Huguenot homes and force them to convert to Catholicism.
How many Huguenots were killed in the Battle of Vassy?
On March 1, 1562, 300 Huguenots holding religious services in a barn outside the town wall of Vassy, France, were attacked by troops under the command of Francis, Duke of Guise. More than 60 Huguenots were killed and over 100 wounded during the Massacre of Vassy.
How many cities did the Huguenots attack?
Violence and murder followed in 12 cities over a two-month period after the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, leading to the first wave of Huguenot departures from France to England, Germany and the Netherlands.
How many people died in the Toulouse riot?
In Toulouse, a riot resulted in the deaths of up to 3,000 people, many of them Huguenots. The battling continued into February of 1563 when Francis, Duke of Guise, was assassinated by a Huguenot during a siege on Orleans and a truce was agreed upon.
