Alès

Alès stands on the Gardon at the foot of the Cévennes, where the valleys open towards the plains of Languedoc. A stronghold of Protestant resistance, it was besieged by the royal army and surrendered in 1629. The Peace of Alès followed, ending the Huguenot rebellions. It removed the Protestants' fortified places of security while confirming their freedom of worship under the Edict of Nantes, changing the balance between religious liberty and political power.