Huguenot cross

The origin of the name is uncertain. It may come from the German term for "confederates" [Eidgenossen], referring to those belonging to the Swiss confederation. The first clearly acknowledged leader of this movement was John Calvin, who like many of his fellow Protestants was forced to flee from France. A sizeable Protestant group, however, remained in France and the French authorities were not able to subdue the movement. For a time the terms of the Edict of Nantes granted French Protestants the freedom to practice their religion publicly. After a period of religious warfare, Protestantism was proscribed in France from 1685 to 1787.