<P> The Edict of Nantes ( French : édit de Nantes ) , signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV of France , granted the Calvinist Protestants of France ( also known as Huguenots ) substantial rights in the nation , which was still considered essentially Catholic at the time . In the edict , Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity . The edict separated civil from religious unity , treated some Protestants for the first time as more than mere schismatics and heretics , and opened a path for secularism and tolerance . In offering general freedom of conscience to individuals , the edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants , such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their civil rights , including the right to work in any field or for the state and to bring grievances directly to the king . It marked the end of the religious wars that had afflicted France during the second half of the 16th century . </P>
<P> The Edict of Nantes ( French : édit de Nantes ) , signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV of France , granted the Calvinist Protestants of France ( also known as Huguenots ) substantial rights in the nation , which was still considered essentially Catholic at the time . In the edict , Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity . The edict separated civil from religious unity , treated some Protestants for the first time as more than mere schismatics and heretics , and opened a path for secularism and tolerance . In offering general freedom of conscience to individuals , the edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants , such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their civil rights , including the right to work in any field or for the state and to bring grievances directly to the king . It marked the end of the religious wars that had afflicted France during the second half of the 16th century . </P>
what was the edict of nantes issued in an effort to do
what was the edict of nantes issued in an effort to do
promote civil unity
promote civil unity