How The Edict of Warsaw?

The Edict of Warsaw?

Article by WorldNews.com Correspondent Dallas Darling.
"Paris is well worth a Mass." --Henry of Navarre

As thousands of protesters gathered in Warsaw to either protect or remove a cross that honored the victims of the plane crash killing the late Polish president, Lech Kaczynski, long ago this very week, but not very far away, the Edict of Nantes was signed allowing religious freedom and toleration.

The religious wars that had torn France apart when Protestant Jean Valliere was burned at the stake in 1523, and which Huguenots (French Protestants) and Catholics resorted to murder and war (actually eight wars were fought) in defense of God's true faith, as they saw it, came to an end when Henry of Navarre became king.

Although he was a Huguenot and had been at the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre-where Huguenot nobles were attending a marriage ceremony and were slaughtered by Catholics, symbolizing the folly of religious fanaticism and the complete breakdown of order in France-for the sake of his war-weary nation Henry chose to become Catholic.

In 1598, Henry established the Edict of Nantes which allowed French Huguenots to live in peace with Catholics, fortify their cities, and to have houses of worship in some cities.(1) Even though it did not grant Huguenots absolute freedom, still they could practice their religion in certain cities, hold public offices, and sat in mixed Catholic-Protestant meetings.

But as often happens, the toleration of the Many is sacrificed for the religious and political ambitions of the Few. In 1610, a fanatic, who hated Henry's religious compromises, leaped into the royal carriage and stabbed Henry to death. The Edict of Nantes was repealed when a new king, Louis XIV, argued the unity of France was at stake.

The revocation of the Edict of Nantes aroused anger and fear. While King Louis XIV was demolishing Huguenot churches, thousands of Protestant families fled. Not only did France lose 500,000 people with talents, wealth, skills and industrial know-how, but hundreds of French soldiers deserted and joined forces with William of Orange against Louis XIV.(2)

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