French Huguenots in North America (Historical Marker)

In 1555, a group of French Protestants developed their first church in a private home in Paris. Five years later, they adopted the name “Huguenots,” derived from a combination of German and Flemish phrases referring to the practice of home worship. At the first synod in 1559, only 15 churches were represented, but Protestantism was quickly embraced by members of nobility, intellectual elites, and professionals in trades, medicine, and crafts. By the synod in 1561, over 2,000 churches sent representatives, and by the following year, there were 2 million Huguenots in France.

Because many Huguenots were respectable and accomplished people in France, contributing economically to the country and representing a variety of abilities, they were initially accepted by Francis I. However, conditions changed in the 1560s. France was 90 percent Roman Catholic, and the Catholic Church wanted full control, leading to violence. Decades of war known as the French Wars of Religion were sparked on March 1, 1562, when 300 Huguenots holding religious services outside of the town hall in Vassy, France, were attacked by Francis, Duke of Guise’s troops. Although Francis claimed it was retaliation against stones being thrown at his men, rather than an ordered attack, at least 60 Huguenots were killed, and over 100 others wounded. Soon after, in April 1562, Protestants took control of Orleans, massacring Huguenots in Sens and Tours, which resulted in a Toulouse riot that led to 3,000 deaths.

The first Huguenots, fleeing from religious and political persecution, arrived in Atlantic Beach, Florida, on May 1, 1562, where they remained until 1565. In June 1564, they established La Coraline. They became farmers, laborers, ministers, soldiers, sailors, and people in government. Due to their skills, they also aided colonies with physicians and expert artisans and craftsmen. Just some included Irenee du Pont, who brought an expertise at crafting gunpowder, and goldsmith Apollo Rivoire, who was the father of patriot Paul Revere. The Huguenots became prominent members of society, with George Washington becoming the grandson of one.

Additionally, the Huguenots were known for many “firsts” in the area. The Huguenots were the first settlement of men and women seeking religious freedom, and Jean Ribault led the first Protestant prayer on American soil. On June 30, 1564, they held the first colonial Thanksgiving, and also had the first recorded birth of a European child in the continental United States. The Huguenots also brought over the first commercial artist in North America, Jacques le Moyne, who documented native Timucua life. They had the first international port of trade as well, when Englishman John Hawkins exchanged goods with La Coraline’s leader, Rene de Laudonniere. In 1565, after a failed Spanish attack on the colony, the Huguenots also represented the first battle between European forces on the soil that would become the United States.

Following the attack, the French were separated in an attempt to defend La Coraline, and their ships were destroyed in a storm. Most of the Huguenots who had been shipwrecked were killed by the Spanish at Matanzas Inlet near St. Augustine after refusing to renounce their religious beliefs. In September, a second attack by the Spanish left few survivors.

During the 1562-1565 period Huguenots were at La Coraline and after, tensions were still high in France, with wars between the Catholic Church and Crown against the Huguenots ongoing for decades. On August 24, 1572, Catherine de Medici, widow of Francis I’s son, Henry II, and the Guise factions intensified the war with a massacre. That day, thousands of Huguenots were in Paris on St. Bartholomew’s Day for the marriage of Henry of Navarre to Marguerite de Valois. Organized mobs and soldiers attacked the Huguenots, torturing and killing thousands of them, then mutilating and desecrating the dead bodies on what became known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Afterward, civil wars followed in 12 cities for a two-month period. More Huguenots fled to the United States, largely settling along the east coast, but also in places such as present-day Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina.

On March 4, 1590, Prince Henry of Navarre successfully led the Huguenots against the Catholic League at the Battle of Ivry in Normandy. Then, on April 13, 1598, after he was newly crowned Henry IV, he issued an Edict of Nantes that granted Huguenots toleration and liberty to worship as they desired. However, on October 18, 1685, it was overturned by Louis XIV. They were ordered to stop practicing their religion, were denied the ability to leave France, and were hunted as heretics by 300,000 troops hired by Louis XIV to locate them and confiscate their property, which resulted in the loss of a half million citizens. It was not until the 1780s that Huguenots were officially free to worship in France. On November 28, 1787, after the United Stated had gained independence, the Marquis de Lafayette was impressed that Huguenot descendants made up a large portion of American leaders. He convinced Louis XVI and the French Council to adopt an Edict of Toleration, granting religious freedom to all of France, and putting an end to the persecution of Huguenots. A historical marker near La Coraline in Florida was erected on October 10, 2016 to commemorate the first Huguenots who fled to the area.

1. Fillmon, Tim. French Huguenots in North America, Historical Marker Database. July 19th 2018. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=120345.
2. Huguenot History, The Huguenot Society of America. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://www.huguenotsocietyofamerica.org/history/huguenot-history/.
3. Huguenots, History. September 6th 2019. Accessed October 4th 2020. https://www.history.com/topics/france/huguenots.