History - 3. Huguenots in France

1. How the Huguenots got their name
2. Summary of their history from Calvin to the Great Elector of Brandenburg
3. The Huguenots in France - the French Reformation
4. The French Reformer John Calvin
5. The Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day - the first pogrom in modern times
6. From the Edict of Nantes 1598 to the Edict of Fontainebleau 1685
7. The Flight of the Huguenots
8. Maps

The Reform Movement in France

After 1517 when Luther fixed his ninety-five theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, his ideas spread rapidly throughout France.

The reform movement in France was headed by the humanist Faber Stapulensis (1455-1536), the bishop of Meaux Guillaume Briconnet (1470-1534), and Gulliaume Farel (1489-1565), who originated from Gap in the Dauphiné.

Faber Stapulensis

Guillaume Briçonnet

Guillaume Farel

Luthériens and Bibliens

Known as "luthériens" or "bibliens" those Frenchmen desiring reform had no strong leader while the crown adhered to the Catholic faith.

Both Francis I (1515-1547) and Henry II (1547-1559) persecuted the supporters of the Reformation as heretics, with the result that they remained a minority.