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THE HUGUENOTS
PRONOUNCE HUGUENOT
The Huguenots were French Protestants of
the 16th and 17th century.
ORIGIN OF
THE TERM
HUGUENOTS
Nobody knows for sure, but
the word huguenot derives probably from the word eyguenot,
which is old Swiss dialect of the German word eidgenosse,
which means confederate, specifically in this context
referring to a citizen of the Swiss Confederation.
1291 Swiss
Confederation
Hence, the term Huguenots referred
originally to some folks in Geneva, Switzerland, who were of a
certain political, not religious opinion. The year? Around the
1520s.
How did it become the name for a
religious group?
French Protestant Reformer
John Calvin lived
and worked in Geneva for quite a while and basically reorganized the
entire city. So much so that Geneva not only became the center of
the Calvinist Reformation but people also started calling it
Protestant Rome.
HUGUENOTS AND
CATHOLIC FRANCE
Naturally, the Huguenots weren't very welcome in Catholic France.
These differences led to severe persecution, the
Amboise Plot, and the
Huguenots Wars. Many Huguenots packed their bags and fled
France. Among them was John Calvin.
The ones who stayed in the country kept
fighting. Leaders of the Huguenots were
Louis I de Bourbon,
who was the Prince de Condé, and
Gaspard II de Coligny.
Under French King Henry IV, who
was a
Huguenot, religious freedom was granted with the
Edict of Nantes. The year? 1598.
Louis XIV was very
much against the Huguenots and revoked his grandfather's Edict of Nantes. The
year? 1685.
Louis' decision caused a mass exodus of
French Protestants. The ones who stayed had henceforth miserable
lives. Some folks in the Cévennes region of France resumed fighting,
which became known as the War of
the Camisard. The dates? July 1702 - 1710.
And here is the Cévennes area on a map:
Cévennes, France
The Huguenots were more or less under
fire until the beginning of the
French Revolution in 1789.
And here are the maps
1562 France Religious Wars
Click map to enlarge
Chief
Huguenot centers in France before the Revocation of the
Edict of Nantes (1685)
HUGUENOTS
TRIVIA
... and speaking about old words. We can thank the Huguenots for our
English word barricade. How so? In 1588, the Huguenots were
busy fighting in the streets of Paris. As obstacles, they used large
barrels and filled them with earth and stones. In fact, May 12,
1588, became known as the Day of the Barricades. That just FYI for
your lovers of etymology.
See also Martin
Luther.
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