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.
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 more or less 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 grew into severe persecution, the
Amboise Plot, and the
Huguenots Wars. Many Huguenots packed their bags and fled
France. Among them was John Calvin.
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. Again, the ones who stayed were caused 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 under
fire until the beginning of the
French Revolution in 1789.
We can thank the Huguenots for our
English word barricade. How so? In 1588, the Huguenots were
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.
Greco-Persian Wars
Also called the
Persian Wars, the Greco-Persian Wars were
fought for almost half a century from 492 to
449 BC. Greece won against enormous odds. Here
is more:
