Protestants in France are historically called Huguenots (huguenots in French), particularly referring to French Calvinists from the 16th–18th centuries. Today, they are generally referred to as protestants. They represent a small minority of the population (about 2%).
The Huguenots were French Protestants. The tide of the Reformation reached France early in the sixteenth century and was part of the religious and political fomentation of the times.
Protestants form a minority of 3% in France. Various churches shaped by Evangelicalism have been the main reason behind the current rise of Protestantism in the country. On the other hand, Calvinists and Lutherans are declining, and in 2013 large parts of these groups merged into the United Protestant Church of France.
The Huguenots were devout Protestants from France and Southern Netherlands, who followed the teaching of the theologian, John Calvin. Many of them fled their country to escape persecution during the 17th century so they could be free to practise their religion.
John Calvin fled Paris following the Affair of the Placards and began establishing the doctrines behind Calvinism in Geneva. The group of Calvinists in France that became known as the Huguenots followed similarly strict and austere beliefs.
The Origin of the Huguenots | The French Protestants of the Reformation
What are Huguenots called today?
In the early 21st century, there were approximately one million Protestants in France, representing some 2% of its population. Most are concentrated in Alsace in northeast France and the Cévennes mountain region in the south, who still regard themselves as Huguenots to this day.
In particular, Calvinists hold that God determines everything that happens, including our choices. It is sometimes thought that Calvinism teaches that God forces us to do things against our will or compels us against our wishes.
In the 16th century, Chambon was a refuge for French Protestants (Huguenots) who fled persecution by Roman Catholics, by taking refuge in the remote Massif Central. Chambon and its region, still called the "Protestant Mountain", continues to have mostly Protestant residents.
The politician Nigel Farage is one famous example. Many other surnames are associated with this past: Bosanquet, Cazenove, Courtauld, Gambier, Garrick, Minet, Portal, Tizard and Olivier. And many more surnames may hide Huguenot names which have been anglicised: Boulanger to Baker, Blanc to White, De la Croix to Cross.
John Adams, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Paul Revere, and George Washington are but a few of the Huguenot descendants who contributed to the founding of the United States.
Henry inherited the throne of France in 1589 upon the death of Henry III. Henry IV initially kept the Protestant faith (the only French king to do so) and had to fight against the Catholic League, which refused to accept a Protestant monarch.
Humphrey Bogart (1899–1957), American actor, descended from Huguenot refugees in the Netherlands. Dion Boucicault (1820–1890), Irish actor and playwright.
The word Puritan comes from 'purity' or 'purify'. These were extreme Protestants who wanted to purify the Church of England by returning to the simple and uncomplicated worship and way of life of the earliest Christians.
Upper-class French surnames often start with "de," "du," or "d'," indicating noble lineage or a connection to a specific place, such as de Valois, de Bourbon, de Rohan, or de Castellane, alongside others like Beaumont, Lafayette, and Talleyrand-Périgord, reflecting historical wealth, land, or prestigious family lines.
For the most part, members of the Royal Family who are entitled to the style and dignity of HRH Prince or Princess do not need a surname, but if at any time any of them do need a surname (such as upon marriage), that surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.
The Huguenots were French Protestants most of whom eventually came to follow the teachings of John Calvin, and who, due to religious persecution, were forced to flee France to other countries in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Some remained, practicing their Faith in secret.
From December 1940 to September 1944, the inhabitants of the French village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon (population 5,000) and the villages on the surrounding plateau (population 24,000) provided refuge for an estimated 5,000 people.
Donald Trump identifies as a Christian, having grown up Presbyterian but now describes himself as a nondenominational Christian, influenced by "positive thinking" teachings from his time at Marble Collegiate Church. His faith journey involves a blend of traditional Christianity and a charismatic, "anointed by God" narrative, resonating strongly with many white evangelical Christians who see him as a defender of faith, despite his personal religious observance being a topic of discussion.
Jesus died on the cross only for the people God chose to be saved. If God elected some people to be damned, Jesus did not die for them because God did not choose for them to be saved. Under Calvinism, salvation is 100% up to God, 0% up to us.
Luther never went to the extreme of Calvin at this point. He was content to see the fall as a result of man's free will. However, Calvin's conclusion at this point logically follows from his major premise. Luther was thus a thoroughgoing predestinarian; this fact has been emphasized above.
