The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685 marked a significant turning point in French religious history. This decree ended the religious toleration granted to French Protestants, known as Huguenots, leading to widespread persecution and the exodus of approximately 200,000 Huguenots to countries such as England, Prussia, and the Dutch Republic. The revocation not only weakened France's economy by depleting its skilled workforce but also intensified the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism in Europe.

The revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 forced many Huguenots into exile, significantly impacting literary culture across Protestant Europe. Poets and theologians, such as the exiled Pierre du Moulin, infused their works with themes of persecution and resilience, enriching English Nonconformist verse and inspiring elegies that lamented lost freedoms and sought liberty.