18 October 1685 A.D. King Louis XIV of France Revokes Edict of
Nantes—Another Era of French Inquisitors Against the French Huguenots.
Dr. Rusten tells
the story.
Rusten, E.
Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year
Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history
The
Wars of Religion began in 1562 in France.
It was underway in the Low Countries under the IOOs of Charles V. The war between the false church and the true
Churches of the Huguenots was on.
The
Huguenots were led by Henry of Navarre—a minor region in southern France and
now the present-day Hispanic province of Navarre. Henry inherited his throne from his staunchly
Calvinistic mother.
Henry’s
cousin, King Henry III, died in 1589.
Henry became the heir apparent, but his Calvinism was an obstacle to
enthronement. So, he embraced Romanism
and was crowned Henry IV in 1593. But,
he never forgot his Reformed and Calvinist roots.
In
1598, he issued the Edict of Nantes.
This gave religious freedom, civic equality and the fairm administration
of the law to Huguenots. Further, state subsidies supported Huguenot armies and
churches. 200 towns received
provisions. Historically, this was
entirely unique—the legal tolerance of two religions side-by-side.
By
the late 1600s, Henry IV’s grandson, Louis XIV, was the King of France. [Never
forget the Charles II or James II connection to England here. England’s Reformed theology was endangered,
post-1662.]
On
16 October 1685, the Edict of Toleration and Nantes was
revoked. The results were:
- Huguenot worship and educations were forbidden.
- Huguenot churches were destroyed or converted to Romish conventicles.
- Huguenot clergy were given 14 days to leave France.
- Huguenot parishioners were not allowed to leave France.
- All children were to be baptized and reared in the Romish conventicles.
- 1.5 million Huguenots existed in France in 1660, but 400, 000 crossed guarded borders.
- ¼ of London consisted of Huguenot emigrees.
- 1/5 of Berlin consisted of Huguenots. The Elector of Brandenburg welcomed them.
- Many fled to South Carolina and New York.
The
Revocation was successful. Less that 1%
of the French population has Huguenot roots.
France was judged. They lost
their best and brightest. They yielded
to Romanist darkness. True Churchmen
blessed other nations.
Questions:
- Doctrine of providence? France rather than England? France rather than Germany?
- Would you be willing to move family due to persecutions for the Reformed faith?
- What of French history courses? Why was this not developed at WTS or RES?
Sources
Durant, Will and Ariel. The Age of Louis XIV: A History of European
Civilization in the Period of Pascal, Moliere, Cromwell, Milton, Peter the
Great, Newton and Spinoza. Vol. 8 of The
Story of Civilization. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1963. 69-75.
Hope, N.V. “Henry IV.” WWCH. 311-2.
Johnstone. Operation World. 5th ed. 224-27.
Langer, William. An Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern
Chronologically Arranged. Rev. ed. Edinburgh: Harra0, 1948. 443.
Linder, Robert D. “Henry IV of France
(1553-1610).” NIDCC. 460-1.
Norman, J.G.G. “Nantes, Edict of (1598).”
NIDCC. 693-4.
Schlessinger, Arthur M., Jr., ed. The Almanac of American History. Rev.
ed. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1993. 65.
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