루이 14세 시대(1661-1678) 위그노에 대한 종교적 강요

The Religious coercion for the Huguenots under Louis ⅩⅣ(1661-1678)

The aim of this research is to find out why Louis ⅩⅣ revoked Edict of Nantes in 1685. Louis ⅩⅣ was keen to establish an absolute monarchy, since he underwent the War of Fronde. So he wanted to get rid of all kinds of obstacles, such as the Estates General, Parliaments and so on. He also regarded the Huguenots as one of the biggest obstacles to his absolute power. The Huguenots were under their own administration of the independent organizations; synode nationale, synode provinciale, colloque and consistoire. Louis ⅩⅣ regarded the Huguenots as evil which sprang from the catholic corruption. In his view, there was no reason to allow the existence of the Huguenots in the society. They exists only to increase the conflicts in the society. They were to be rooted out, not to be given any mercy. Louis ⅩⅣ was wise enough to realize hat direct and physical persecutions might cause the opposite effect, which had been experienced earlier during the religious civil wars in the late 16th century. Rather he employed a strategy of the gradual and indirect approach until an decisive opportunity comes. In the 1660s Louis ⅩⅣ prosecuted the Huguenots by applying the Edict of Nantes in a extremely narrow terms. He wanted that these policies cause many difficulties in the religious life of Huguenots. The 1670s witnessed another policy of Louis ⅩⅣ in the persecution of the Huguenots. It was the policy by the persuasion and the giving of pension by means of Caisse des Economats in order to attract the conversion of the Huguenots to Catholic belief. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes was the last policy Louis ⅩⅣ employed. He could not tolerate the Edict of Nantes as it allowed two religions in a state. Louis ⅩⅣ did try to revoke the Edicts in the early period of his reign. His tactics was changed according to the situation, from the reinterpretation of the Edict of Nantes to the its revocation, from moderate policy to radical one. All this explain that the revocation of the Edict was decided not by any political situation, but by consistent and determined plan he made from the beginning of his rule.