dual personalities

It is the last day of April! Zut alors!

Today we celebrate the signing of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 by Henry IV of France, whereby Calvinist Protestants (Huguenots) were granted substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic.

(The Edict of Nantes document, 1598; preserved in the Archives Nationales of France)

Of course, this edict was revoked in 1685 by King Louis XIV, and Protestantism was declared illegal. This had very damaging results for France. While the wars of religion did not re-ignite, intense persecution of Protestants took place. All Protestant ministers were given two weeks to leave the country unless they converted to Catholicism and all other Protestants were prohibited from leaving the country. In spite of the prohibition, the renewed persecution – including many examples of torture – caused as many as 400,000 to flee France. Most moved to Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, Prussia, Switzerland, and the Thirteen Colonies in North America. You may recall that I wrote recently about the father of Paul Revere, who came to Massachusetts as a 13-year old Huguenot refugee, fleeing persecution in France. 

Indeed, this exodus deprived France of many of its most skilled and industrious individuals who made up a large part of the French middle class. One can argue that the nation never quite recovered. The Revolution followed 100 years later.

But, hey, in October 1985, to commemorate the tricentenary of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, President Francois Mitterrand of France announced a formal apology to the descendants of Huguenots around the world. Oh, and they issued a special postage stamp.