Huguenots

Huguenots were mostly Calvinist Protestants in France. They faced persecutions but were later protected by the Edict of Orléans in 1561. Further warfare and persecution followed. The Edict of Nantes in 1592 once again put an end to persecution, but it revoked in 1685. Most Huguenots eventually left France for other countries.

In 1564, the Huguenots established the first settlement in North America, at Fort Caroline on St. John's River in Florida.

They helped Americans during the American Revolution, particularly in battles in New Jersey. In Massachusetts, Paul Revere's father was a Huguenot refugee who came to Boston as a child.

Many Huguenots also settled in South Africa during the 17t and 18th centuries.