Huguenot Diaspora and Settlements

In 1685, King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes. Protestant worship was banned, churches were destroyed, and many Huguenots were forced to convert to Catholicism or flee. Leaving France was also illegal, and one Young Huguenot Fleeing France is a shocking story of how dangerous and treacherous it was.

An estimated 150,000–200,000 Huguenots escaped France despite laws forbidding emigration. They settled in countries such as:

The Protestant Reformation in France

1530s–1550s

Calvinist ideas spread rapidly among French nobles and urban artisans. Despite severe persecution under King Francis I and Henry II, roughly 10% of the French population (~2 million people) converted to Protestantism.

French Wars of Religion

1562–1598

A series of eight bloody civil wars erupted between Catholics and Huguenots. The low point came during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572), when Catholic mobs murdered an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 Protestants across France over several weeks.

Edict of Nantes

1598

King Henry IV—a former Huguenot who converted to Catholicism to claim the throne—signed the Edict of Nantes. It granted Huguenots substantial rights, including freedom of conscience, the right to worship, and fortified safe-haven towns like La Rochelle.

Revocation & The Great Diaspora

1685

King Louis XIV issued the Edict of Fontainebleau, outlawing Protestantism completely, destroying churches, and forcing conversions. Around 200,000–500,000 Huguenots fled France illegally, taking valuable trade skills to Britain, the Dutch Republic, Prussia, South Africa, and the American colonies.

Key Huguenot Settlements

Region	Primary Settlement Areas	Economic & Cultural Impact
England & Ireland	London (Spitalfields, SoHo), Canterbury, Dublin	Established major silk-weaving, silversmithing, and banking industries.
Dutch Republic	Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Leiden	Integrated into trade, printing, and military service; supported Dutch golden age industries.
Prussia & German States	Berlin, Magdeburg, Brandenburg	Given special tax relief via the Edict of Potsdam (1685); rebuilt war-torn Prussian infrastructure.
North America	New Paltz (NY), New Rochelle (NY), Charleston (SC), Manakin (VA)	Integrated rapidly into colonial agriculture, trade, and politics.
South Africa	Franschhoek ("French Corner"), Drakenstein	Pioneered the South African viticulture and winemaking industry.

Huguenots in America

Huguenot settlers immigrated to the American colonies directly from France and indirectly from the Protestant countries of Europe, including the Netherlands, England, Germany, and Switzerland.

Although the Huguenots settled along almost the entire eastern coast of North America, they showed a preference for what are now the states of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina. Just as France suffered a notable loss through the emigration of these intelligent, capable people, so the American colonies gained. The colonists became farmers, laborers, ministers, soldiers, sailors, and people who engaged in government. The Huguenots supplied the colonies with excellent physicians and expert artisans and craftsmen. For example, Irénée du Pont brought his expertise for making gunpowder learned from the eminent Lavoisier; and Apollo Rivoire, a goldsmith, was the father of Paul Revere, master silversmith and renowned patriot. George Washington, himself, was the grandson of a Huguenot on his mother’s side. The goldsmith Charles "Chuck" Norton is a descendant of Huguenot Mareen Duval. The Huguenots adapted themselves readily to the New World. Their descendants increased rapidly and spread quickly. Today, people of Huguenot origin are found in all parts of our country. (Courtesy of The Huguenot Society of America)