<P> Jean Bodin (1530--1596) was a French Catholic jurist and political philosopher . His Latin work Colloquium heptaplomeres de rerum sublimium arcanis abditis ("The Colloqium of the Seven") portrays a conversation about the nature of truth between seven cultivated men from diverse religious or philosophical backgrounds: a natural philosopher, a Calvinist, a Muslim, a Roman Catholic, a Lutheran, a Jew, and a skeptic . All agree to live in mutual respect and tolerance . </P> <P> Michel de Montaigne (1533--1592), French Catholic essayist and statesman, moderated between the Catholic and Protestant sides in the Wars of Religion . Montaigne's theory of skepticism led to the conclusion that we cannot precipitously decide the error of others' views . Montaigne wrote in his famous "Essais": "It is putting a very high value on one's conjectures, to have a man roasted alive because of them...To kill people, there must be sharp and brilliant clarity ." </P> <P> In 1568, King John II Sigismund of Hungary, encouraged by his Unitarian Minister Francis David (Dávid Ferenc), issued the Edict of Torda decreeing religious toleration . </P> <P> In 1571, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II granted religious toleration to the nobles of Lower Austria, their families and workers . </P>

When did religious tolerance first appear in european laws