Edict of 19 April
Second; 1567–1568Saint-Denis; Chartres Third; 1568–1570Jarnac; La Roche-l'Abeille; Poitiers; Orthez; Moncontour; Saint-Jean d'Angély; Arney-le-Duc Fourth; 1572–1573Mons; Sommières; Sancerre; La Rochelle Fifth; 1574–1576Dormans Sixth; 1577La Charité-sur-Loire; Issoire; Brouage Seventh; 1580La Fère War of the Three Henrys (1585–1589)Coutras; Vimory; Auneau; Day of the Barricades Succession of Henry IV of France (1589–1594)Arques; Ivry; Paris; Château-Laudran; Rouen; Caudebec; Craon; 1st Luxembourg; Blaye; Morlaix; Fort Crozon Franco-Spanish War (1595–1598)2nd Luxembourg; Fontaine-Française; Ham; Le Catelet; Doullens; Cambrai; Calais; La Fère; Ardres; Amiens The Edict of 19 April was a religious edict promulgated by the regency council of Charles IX of France on 19 April 1561.
[6] The Edict of Romorantin continued in this more liberal framework, transferring the trial of heresy cases to the purview of the ecclesiastical courts, which lacked the ability to sentence defendants to death.
[14] This turbulence peaked in the month of April, during Easter, with the crown selecting Jean de Monluc as the courts Lenten preacher, a bishop known to be highly sympathetic to Protestantism.
They would follow this up with an exchanging of the kiss of peace under the auspices of François de Tournon, temporarily putting their long running feud on hold to work together against the crown becoming Protestant.
Protestants, growing in confidence from their influence at court, began more openly meeting to worship in the city, gathering in the Pre-aux-Clercs to hear Easter sermons.
Noble Protestants also met in the house of the Duke of Longjumeau, among them Léonor d'Orléans, duc de Longueville, to hear sermons, to the knowledge and apathy of the court.
Longjumeau, aware of this, stocked arms in his house, and when the angry crowd approached, he and the others inside, fought their way out of the building, leaving several dead and dozens wounded.
Here it broke with past edicts and stated that the only acceptable time for entry into a private citizens house where heretical preaching is suspected is with a warrant, and conducted by officials.
[19] The edict then offered a re-affirmation of the agreed upon decision of the estates in January, outlining again that all those imprisoned for heresy were to be released without a requirement for a formal recantation.
The ambassador to Spain, de Chantonnay, angrily demanded an audience with Catherine which he received, lambasting her for bringing the Catholics of the country to the brink of despair.
[13] She retorted that, the king, the council and herself remained resolutely committed to living and dying as Catholics, and that the edict was a necessary measure to quiet the troubles which were consuming France.
[21] It did not escape the attention of many conservative Catholics that the edict which prohibited the invasion of homes to search for (still) illegal Protestant services coincided with the attack on the residence of Longueville.
[24] The Parlement set about drawing up a remonstrance to the crown in May, under the direction of Baillet, Chambon and Faye of the moderate conservative faction that comprised the majority of the court.
The Parlement then turned its attentions to the specific terms, decrying how 'Papist' was being treated as a slur, despite obedience to the Pope on religious matters being a commendable thing, not deserving of placement alongside this newly invented word 'Huguenot.
[26] Catherine retorted to the Parlement that Lorraine had approved of the terms agreed at the estates general in January, and further noted that this edict was only a provisional measure, to calm France, until such time a church council could solve the religious question.
[31] After some heated discussion it was agreed that Protestantism would remain banned, but that Protestants would be allowed to sell their possessions before leaving the kingdom, with no return to the era of burnings that had occurred in the 1550s.
