HUGUENOTS, hirge-ndts, a term of un known origin, believed to be a diminutive of the personal name Hugo, applied to the Protes tants of France during the religious straggles of the 16th and 17th centuries. During the early part of the 16th century the doctrine of Calvin, notwithstanding the opposition of Francis I, spread widely in France. Under his successor Henry II, 1547-59, the Protestant party grew strong, and under Francis II be came a political force headed by the Bourbon family, especially the King of Navarre and the Prince of Conde. At the head of the Catho licsarty stood the Guises. The contest between the two parties was as much political as re ligious. The result was that a Huguenot con spiracy headed by Prince Louis of Conde was formed for the purpose of compelling the king to dismiss the Guises and accept the Prince of Conde as regent of the realm. But the plot was betrayed, and many of the Huguenots were exe cuted or imprisoned. In 1560 Francis died, and during the minority of the next king, Charles IX, it was the policy of the queen mother, Catherine de Medici, to encourage the Protes tants in the free exercise of their religion in order to curb the Guises. In 1562 an acci dental conflict between the followers of the Duke of Guise and some Protestants at a church meeting •precipitated a series of reli gious wars which desolated France almost to the end of the century. Catherine, however, be gan to fear that Protestantism might become a permanent power in the country, and sud denly making an alliance with the Guises, with their help she projected and carried out the massacre of Saint Bartholomew's (q.v.)., 24 Aug. 1592. The Protestants fled to their forti fied towns and carried on a war with varying success. On the death of Charles IX, Henry III, a feeble sovereign, found himself com pelled to unite with the King of Navarre, head of the house of Bourbon and heir-apparent of the French Crown, against the ambitions Guises, who openly aimed at the throne, and bad ex cited the people against hint to such a degree that he was on the point of losing the crown.
After the assassination of Henry III the King of Navarre was obliged to maintain a severe struggle for the vacant throne; and not until he had, by the advice of Sully,• embraced the Catholic religion (1593), did he enjoy quiet possession of the kingdom as Henry IV. Five years afterward he secured to the Huguenots their civil rights by the Edict of Nantes (q.v.) which confirmed to them the free exercise of their religion, and gave them equal claims with the Catholics to all offices and dignities. They were also left in possession of the fortresses which had been ceded to them for their security. This edict afforded them the means of forming a kind of republic within the kingdom, which Richelieu, who regarded it as a serious obstacle to the growth of the royal power, resolved to crush. The war raged from 1624 to 1629. when Rochelle, after an obstinate defense, fell before the royal troops; the Huguenots had to sur render all their strongholds, although they were still allowed freedom of conscience under the ministers of Richelieu and Mazarin. But under Louis XIV a new persecution of the Protestants commenced. They were deprived of their civil rights, and bodies of dragoons were sent into the southern provinces to com pel the Protestant inhabitants to abjure their faith. The Edict of Nantes was revoked in 1685, and by this act about 50,000 Protestant subjects were driven out of France to other countries. (See Hucuattors IN AMERICA). In the reign of Louis XV a new edict was issued repressive of Protestantism, but so many voices were raised in favor of toleration that it had to be revoked. The Code Napoleon and later enactments place Protestants in France on an equality with their Catholic compatriots. Consult Browning, (History of the Huguenots) (1840); Felice, des Protestants de France) (1874) • Baird, 'The (New York); Thompson, 'The Wars of Re ligion in France) (1909).