Edict ofÉcouen

The Edict of Écouen, issued in 1559, was a repressive decree by Henry II of France aimed at curbing the spread of Protestantism. This edict intensified the persecution of Huguenots, as French Protestants were known. The period was marked by religious conflict, with the rise of Calvinism in France and increasing tensions between Catholic and Protestant factions. This edict was part of a series of measures taken by the monarchy to suppress the growing Protestant movement, which had gained significant traction among various social classes, including nobility, merchants, and the urban poor. The religious strife eventually escalated into the French Wars of Religion.123