The
Edict of Nantes (
French:
Édit de Nantes), signed probably on 30 April 1598, by
King Henry IV of France, granted the
Calvinist Protestants of
France (also known as
Huguenots) substantial
rights in the nation, which was, at the time, still considered essentially
Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity. The
Edict separated civil from
religious unity, treated some Protestants for the first time as more than mere
schismatics and
heretics, and opened a path for
secularism and tolerance. In offering general
freedom of conscience to individuals, the Edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants, such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their
civil rights, including the right to work in any field or for the State and to bring grievances directly to the king. It marked the end of the
religious wars that had afflicted France during the second half of the 16th century.