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Where could Huguenots worship under the Edict of Nantes?
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Henry IV
Henry IV, undated copperplate engraving.
Under the Edict of Nantes, promulgated by Henry IV in 1598, Huguenots were permitted to hold public worship in many parts of the kingdom of France.1
However, this right was subject to specific geographical limitations:
- Exclusion of Paris: Public Protestant worship was explicitly prohibited in Paris.1
- Legal Restrictions: The edict restored Roman Catholicism in all areas where its practice had been interrupted and made any further extension of Protestant worship legally impossible.1
While the edict granted significant religious liberty, it functioned within a framework that confirmed Roman Catholicism as the state church.12