Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/308

 296 THE BOURBON AGE alienated the papacy to which his claims appeared more danger- ous than Protestantism, while he was energetically supported by the Jesuit organisation. It was under these conditions that he changed his policy towards the Huguenots. Hitherto he had sought to procure religious uniformity by rewarding converts, among of the Edict whom was numbered the great Turenne, rather than of Nantes, by severity. Now he took the violent step of re- voking the Edict of Nantes, Henry iv.'s charter of Huguenot liberties, and a severe persecution followed. The result was an enormous immigration of Huguenots to England, Holland, and Brandenburg. These Huguenots were the cream of the industrial population. The great industrial advance which owed so much to Colbert was wrecked, while the emigrants greatly stimulated the trade of the countries where they found asylums. The liberal-minded Pope Innocent xi. entirely dis- approved, while the measure had the effect of consolidating Protestant antagonism to Louis outside France. On the other hand the attitude of the pope prevented any prospect of a Catholic combination in support of Louis, apart from the fact that the Catholic powers were politically threatened by his aggression no less than the Protestants. Just at this moment James n. succeeded his brother Charles ii. on the English throne. He was a bigoted Catholic, and England had just been passing through a stage of Revolution particularly violent religious panic directed against in England, everything which to English Protestantism savoured of popery. James's chance lay in associating him- self with the pope and the principle of toleration. But he wanted French money and French support, and he alone of the Catholic princes associated himself with Louis and with schemes for a forcible restoration of Romanism. The result was that the English nation united in calling to the throne his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband William of Orange, Scotland following suit. Louis saw the European powers on the verge of an active com- bination against him, and resolved to strike first. But though he was alive to what was going on in England he made the amazing