Consider the significance of the Edict of Nantes 1598 Essay

The society of Nantes immediately followed the fights of righteousness, which advertise divided France in cost of religion. The Edict of Nantes could be expound as a operative training in policies regarding religion in France in the seventeenth century.The policies were implemented by a monarch who sit on the fence when it came to religion, having devotions to both universality and Protestantism, in the shape of enthalpy IV.The Edict of Nantes itself was rattling probatory as its polity was the first of its kind in french politics. Never before had a cut monarch tolerated both universality and Protestantism and bothowed them both to blast in the same country. Whatever total heats beliefs and motives in implementing such a policy, it was sure as shooting an original policy and a crucial instruction in sixteenth and seventeenth century France. acceptance existed and although it can be argued that Protestants didnt give up precise much baron and the Catholics remai ned in near broad(a) control of the majority of areas in the country but the Protestants certainly had more than power than they had under former more anti-Protestant monarchs.The Edict could withal be exposit as a move point. Indeed, it could be draw as a very significant turning point. Legislation was put in buns in an attempt to avoid discrimination against the Protestants. Discrimination was not evident by the Edict itself it was more of a case of trying to chip in the Protestants more rights. hydrogen couldnt go as far as giving the Protestants touch on legal, religious and political rights because he would lose the support of the Catholics. However, in that location can be no denying the meaning of the legislation. It was the attempt to be hardheaded where religion is concerned which resulted in his death. The significance of enthalpys reign lies in the difference and the naturalism of his reign.The actual legislation could be described as ground breaking. The r ights that the Edict of Nantes gave the Protestants included full self-direction of conscience and private worship liberty of general worship wherever it had previously been granted and its wing to numerous other localities and to estates of Protestant nobles full complaisant rights including the right to hold public office all over-embellished subsidies for Protestant schools special courts, composed of roman print Catholic and Protestant judges, to judge cases involving Protestants retention of the organization of the Protestant church in France and Protestant control of whatsoever 200 cities then held by the Huguenots, including such strongholds as La Rochelle, with the king contributing to the maintenance of their garrisons and fortifications.In practice, things were slightly various for the Protestants who were oppressed by the Catholics and pacify werent allowed anywhere near Paris. It is clear that full, equal rights for the Protestants were not given by henry for example, Roman Catholic judges had more power in the courts than the Protestant judges did and often Roman Catholic bias came through in a physical body of cases but there was some attempt to give the Protestants some rights and freedoms which was in itself significant.The Edict of Nantes was in addition very significant in terms of hydrogens opposed policy. He sine qua noned to protect the southernmosterly border of France from the Spanish and Austrian Hapsburgs. heat content was more patriotic than the french kings before him and his policies show this as he placed the Protestants in the south of France, victimization the Protestants to protect France from Spain. All of this means that in terms of cut foreign policy the Edict of Nantes carries tho significance for a number of reasonsThe removal of the Protestants remote from Paris and further towards the south means that atomic number 1 IV embarked on a policy of centralisation. thither is no doubt that heat conte nt converted to Catholicism and tried to maintain as much power as possible for his Catholic friends in the establishment. Policies were do more in a centralised bureau i.e. from Paris and the Protestants were freezed out in positions of power by the Catholics. This is significant because of the reign of Louis bakers dozen who furthered the centralisation policy, and shows that there was a trend towards centralisation before Louis XIII came onto the throne. This also shows that Henrys domestic and foreign policy can easily be linked, which is also significant. All of this emphasises how significant the Edict of Nantes was.Henrys patriotism was also on show in the implementation of the Edict of Nantes. He didnt want any foreign influence in his affairs and he wanted to appease the Protestants. The best focusing to appease them was giving them an important role whilst acquire what he wanted in his foreign policy by getting the Protestants to protect the borders of France. This is highly significant as never before had a French monarch been as patriotic as Henry and it is also significant because it indicates that Henry didnt truly want the Catholics to have power in all areas of France which probably indicates that he still had allegiances to the Protestant beliefs in spite of his conversion to Catholicism.Henrys tactical manoeuvres were also significant in another way. Basically, he prevented the Wars of pietism from continuing and restarting again. The irony is that his tendency to sit on the fence on the issue of religion in the end cost him his life. This is why some historians place emphasis on the significance of this aspect of the Edict of Nantes. Henrys early life as a Protestant and his later(prenominal) conversion to Catholicism make the Edict of Nantes interesting as well as significant.To consider the significance of the Edict of Nantes, we have to consider the situation in France before Henry IV came to the throne and even beyond the Wars of morality. The Wars of Religion were where the Calvinist Huguenots (Protestants) and the Catholics did battle for control of the monarchy. The Catholics won and maintain control of the monarchy however, it is clear that something needed to be do to prevent another War of Religion from happening.Henry IV was the man with the job of preventing another War of Religion and he turned out to be the perfect man for the job. Unlike most French monarchs in this period, Henry was pragmatic when it came to religion although he had developed a slight preference for Catholicism. Henry felt that they were more important things than religion his patriotism as opposed to his religious beliefs but at last it was this that caused his downfall and eventual death.However, the very fact that the Wars of Religion didnt happen again throughout Henry IVs reign is very significant considering the huge division between the two religions. other War of Religion could have shaped French history differe ntly, especially if the Protestants/Calvinists came out on top. todays France could also have been completely different if a war wasnt avoided. This makes Henrys reign and of course the Edict of Nantes take on further significance.The Edict of Nantes certainly cannot be described as revolutionary but it was almost a complete reform of the laws regarding religion. In reality, there was littler reform because there was major exploitation of flaws in the law by the Catholics. However, this shouldnt take anything outdoor(a) from the significance of the Edict of Nantes because the laws created Protestant strangleholds in the south of France.Despite all this, the Edict of Nantes takes on an obvious lack of significance because of what happened to Henry and what happened under the reigns of subsequent monarchs. The Edict was indeed revoked in 1685 and steadily the Catholics go towards a position of total power over the Protestants. So this means that the Edict of Nantes loses some o f its significance because the policies of Henry had no impact on proximo monarchs. During Henrys reign, however, significance can be attached to the Edict.