An official order or proclamation issued by a ruler or government authority, having the force of law. Edicts were commonly used by monarchs and emperors to announce new policies, laws, or administrative changes throughout their territories.
From Latin 'edictum,' meaning 'something proclaimed,' derived from 'edicere' (to declare publicly). Roman magistrates used edicts to announce their policies, and the term continued through medieval and early modern European governance.
The Edict of Nantes in 1598 granted religious tolerance to French Protestants, but Louis XIV revoked it in 1685, causing hundreds of thousands of skilled Huguenots to flee France. This single edict's reversal weakened France economically while strengthening Protestant nations like Prussia and England with refugee talent.
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