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Handout #170

Revocation of the Edict of Nantes

Fortified by the many bulletins of victory which arrived from all sides, in October 1685 A.D. Louis XIV revoked an Edict of Nantes which had apparently been robbed of its force by the Edict of Fontainbleau. 

At the present we see with the just recognition which we owe to God that our concerns have achieved the end that we had in view, since the better and greater part of our subjects professing that religion which claims to be Reformed (RPR) have embraced the Catholic religion. And since the execution of the Edict of Nantes and all that was ordained in favor of the so-called Reformed religion (RPR) has been of no effect, we have judged that we could do nothing better entirely to obliterate the memory of the troubles, the confusion and the evils that the progress of this false has caused in our kingdom and has given rise to this edit .. that to revoke entirely the so-called Edict of Nantes.

2. We forbid our subjects who belong to the so-called Reformed religion (RPR) to continue to meet to practice the said religion in any house or other place.

8. With regard to children who are born to those of the so-called Reformed religion (RPR), it is our will that they should be baptized by the parish priests. We instruct the fathers and mothers to send them to the churches for that purpose, on pain of a fine of five hundred pounds ... 

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