The
Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an
edict issued by
Louis XIV of
France, also known as the
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The
Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted the
Huguenots the right to practice their religion without persecution from the state. Though Protestants had lost their independence in places of refuge under
Richelieu, they continued to live in comparative security and political contentment. From the outset,
religious toleration in France had been a royal, rather than a popular policy. The lack of universal adherence to his religion did not sit well with Louis XIV's vision of perfected
autocracy: "Bending all else to his will, Louis XIV resented the presence of
heretics among his subjects."