Edict of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on Tolerance (1562)

Timeline

1. 1561–1562Poissy and the Paris court · Île-de-FranceAfter the failure of the 1561 Poissy religious colloquy, Catherine de' Medici and Lord Keeper Michel de L'Hôpital pushed to ease sectarian conflict by edict, laying the political and theological groundwork for the tolerance policy soon to be issued at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
2. 1562Royal Palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye · YvelinesThe edict allowed Huguenots to worship publicly at designated sites outside cities, guaranteed nobles the right to worship within their domains, and banned lynching and religious persecution; it was then submitted to the Parlement of Paris for registration, provoking resistance from Catholic hardliners and the Parlement.
3. 1562Paris · ParisThe Parlement of Paris delayed registering the edict on procedural and Catholic-interest grounds, while Catholic leaders such as the Duke of Guise fanned opposition; the Massacre of Vassy broke out on 1 March 1562, effectively tearing up the edict of tolerance and opening the French Wars of Religion.
4. 1562–1570Kingdom of France · FranceThough short-lived, the Edict of Saint-Germain established a institutional paradigm of reconciling sects by royal edict during wartime; the Edict of Amboise (1563), the Edict of Longjumeau (1568), and the edicts up to the Peace of Saint-Germain (1570) repeatedly adjusted the boundaries of Huguenot rights based on its failure.