From the 16th to the 18th century, Europe underwent various religious changes that had a huge impact on the religious state of Europe as a whole. It has tested almost all rulers regarding their ability to conform or accept religious changes by trying to tolerate them or ignore any changes and not recognize them. Various European rulers took different approaches where some rulers tolerated these new changes under certain conditions and others did not practice any kind of tolerance. Some rulers were even willing to compromise on religious tolerance to maintain peace and unity among their citizens. During and after the Protestant Reformation, European thinkers and rulers believed that tolerance would be the right thing to do to improve the situation. country and for their people. An early example of religious tolerance was the proclamation of the Edict of Nantes by King Henry IV of France. Given that King Henry IV himself was a former Protestant and that Protestants were a minority in France, he was able to pass this edict in an attempt to end the ongoing religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. While being able to recognize their fundamental rights, they had to "conduct themselves in other matters as is contained in this edict" (Doc 5). This shows that although he was willing to allow tolerance in his kingdom, he had to place some conditions in an attempt not to upset the Catholic majority. Another clear example of religious tolerance can be clearly seen from Voltaire, a French writer and philosopher. He states that “if only one religion were allowed in England, the government would very likely become arbitrary” (Doc 11). In other words, if the government declares a state relationship... in the middle of paper... it is all the easier to harm us” (Doc 2). This shows that both sides were willing to compromise because they had no choice but to ally with each other to defend themselves from a common enemy. While the aforementioned kingdoms may not have wanted to compromise and allow religious tolerance, they did so because they were “forced” to do so and it was the only choice they had. Religious tolerance during the 16th-18th centuries changed constantly due to the Protestant Reformation and political conflict between other kingdoms. Some rulers and thinkers believed that tolerance was the best opportunity for their people and would prevent civil wars, while other rulers believed the exact opposite. On the other hand, some were inevitably “forced” to compromise due to their situation and tolerance was a consequence of certain events..