/ The Baron des Adrets, a Protestant military leader in ProvenceThe persecution of the Luberon's Waldensians foreshadowed the religious violence of the sixteenth century. Coming particularly from Alpine valleys, they had settled in villages needing new inhabitants. Their communities moved closer to the Reformation during the sixteenth century. In 1540, the Parlement of Aix issued the decree known as the Arrêt de Mérindol. Its enforcement in 1545 led to the destruction of villages, including Mérindol and Cabrières, massacres and the sentencing of survivors to the galleys.
The Reformation nevertheless continued to spread through different social groups. From the 1560s, the Wars of Religion plunged the region into prolonged conflict. Raids and deadly expeditions threatened towns and countryside. Protestants, Catholics loyal to royal authority and members of the Catholic League fought one another; religious convictions mingled with political ambitions.
Henry IV's conversion to Catholicism in 1593 and his coronation in 1594 gradually helped him gain acceptance. Peace returned unevenly from place to place. The Edict of Nantes, issued in 1598, ended the Wars of Religion across the kingdom without removing every source of tension.
Sources and further reading: Musée protestant: the massacre of the Luberon's Waldensians.