The Edict of Tolerance of Nantes, known as the Edict of Nantes, was signed on April 30, 1598 by King Henry IV, known as Henry the Great. This edict granted the rights of worship to the Protestants of France, also called Huguenots, and no longer authorized persecution against them.
But after a time of pacification, the Huguenots were again persecuted under the reign of Louis XIII, then under that of Louis XIV, known as the Sun King. From 1681 to 1687, the king's dragoons pursued Protestants to force them to convert to Catholicism. Thus, they settled in Calvinist families, chased pastors from the Kingdom, destroyed Protestant temples, forcibly sent Huguenot children to catechism or put them in a convent that their parents had to pay for themselves. The dragons forbade the reading of religious books, especially the Bible, and burned them all. (At that time, the Bible was written in Latin for Catholics and only educated people like priests and monks could read It.)
Despite the threats that weighed on them, many Huguenots persisted in celebrating their worship and reading the Bible from 1682; they were encouraged by the “preachers” and “prophets”. But many clandestine gatherings were discovered and Protestants were arrested or even burned alive. Generally, women were condemned to be locked up in the king's prisons and men were sent to the galleys.
The Edict of Nantes was revoked on October 22, 1685 by King Louis XIV; he drew up the Edict of Fontainebleau which forced the Huguenots to convert to Catholicism and he canceled the Edict of Nantes, previously signed by his grandfather. Since 1685, there were officially no more Protestants in the kingdom of France.