The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV

This engraving by the Dutchman Jan Luyken illustrates the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, signed by Louis XIV at Fontainebleau on 18 October 1685. The twelve-article edict banned all Reformed worship, ordered the demolition of temples, and commanded pastors to leave the kingdom or convert, ending nearly a century of religious tolerance established by Henri IV in 1598. Despite the ban on emigration, some 200,000 Huguenots secretly fled to Protestant countries of Europe in the following months, causing lasting economic and demographic loss for the kingdom.