Toleration and Religious Identity: The Implications of the Edict of Nantes for France, Britain and Ireland

The Edict of Nantes, passed in 1598, established an uneasy truce between the Protestants and Roman Catholics in France, ushering in an era of religious pluralism and a period of expansion for French Protestants into all areas of the nation’s life. This volume traces the evolution of French Protestantism from violence and sectarianism in the 16th century, to social conformity and ambivalence in the 17th and, in the 18th, to an increasing openness to other traditions. A final section of the book addresses the themes of toleration and religious identity.