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Dragonnades
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Dragonnades
After the revocation of the Edit de Nantes, which promised religious toleration, French protestants are officially persecuted in the infamous dragonnades
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Media ID 4354112
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10200710
1685 Edit Infamous Nantes Officially Persecuted Promised Protestants Revocation Toleration
EDITORS COMMENTS
This haunting image captures the aftermath of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a pivotal moment in French history that marked the official persecution of Protestants in France. The Edict of Nantes, issued by King Henry IV in 1598, granted religious toleration to Huguenots, or French Protestants, allowing them to practice their faith freely within certain limits. However, with the ascension of King Louis XIV to the throne in 1661, the political climate began to shift, and the Catholic Church, under the influence of powerful cardinals, pressed for the revocation of the Edict. In 1685, Louis XIV, seeking to assert his absolute authority and unify the kingdom under Catholic rule, issued the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The decree ordered the expulsion of Protestant ministers, the destruction of their churches, and the forced conversion of Protestants to Catholicism. This was enforced through the use of dragonnades, a brutal tactic that involved the deployment of armed soldiers, or dragonnes, to intimidate and forcibly convert Protestants. The photograph depicts a group of dragonnes, their faces obscured by masks, entering a Huguenot home to carry out the persecution. The terrified faces of the Huguenot family, huddled together, reflect the fear and despair that gripped the Protestant community in the aftermath of the Revocation. The image serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of religious intolerance and the devastating impact of state-sponsored persecution. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Huguenots, many of whom fled to other European countries, particularly England, the Netherlands, and Prussia. The event is considered a dark chapter in French history, and its legacy continues to shape the country's religious and political landscape to this day.
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