KingFrancis I of France issued theEdict of Coucy on July 16, 1535, ending the persecution ofProtestants on the ground that heresy no longer existed in France.[1] It also released religious prisoners and offered amnesty to exiles, providing they abjure heresy.
The edict, which came with a period of leniency[2] or what some refer to as a turn toward appeasement,[3] followed theNicolas Cop's speech on November 1, 1533 calling for reform in theCatholic Church. It also followed the provocative placards[4] that were posted almost a year later inParis and elsewhere attacking theMass as ablasphemy. The placards affair, which was instigated byAntoine Marcourt, was directed at the Catholic doctrine oftransubstantiation and accused priests of being the antichrist and that while Cop's speech was deemed humanist, the placards were considered heretical.[5] Conservatives used the offensive nature of the demonstration to pressure the king to adopt a harder line towards heresy.[5] Backed by the king, some dissenters were jailed, twenty-four were executed, and over seventy fled, including Cop and his friendJohn Calvin.
The edict was introduced as part of Francis I's effort to forge an alliance with theSchmalkaldic League, particularly since figures such asPhilip of Hesse did not approve of the religious persecution.[5] It was also partly aimed at addressing the threat of the depopulation of France by raising the issue of the "fugitive religionaries".[3]
The edict freed all of the jailed, and offered amnesty to the exiles.[1] The "Sacramentarians", who held toZwingli's view of theEucharist (which had appeared on the placards), were included only if they would repudiate their anti-Romanist views. Francis sought by the edict to assuage the anger of someGerman Protestant princes with whom he was attempting to form an alliance, which ultimately failed. Even so, he extended pardon to the Sacramentarians in 1536.
The edict continued until it was revoked in December 1538 and, after hostilities resumed, it was replaced by theEdict of Fontainebleau in 1540.[3]