Louis XIV's purge of Huguenot naval expertise

Which religious policy had a particularly surprising effect on naval strategy?

Louis XIV's removal of Huguenot officers stands out because it sacrificed a large share of the French Navy's best and most experienced leadership for confessional uniformity.

Sailors and navies reflected the religious world around them, but Louis XIV's decision to make the navy uniformly Catholic stands out. The policy removed Huguenot officers even though they included a leading admiral and a large, experienced part of the officer corps. Domestic religious policy could therefore weaken naval command and institutional competence directly.