The Huguenots were French Protestants who were members of the Reformed Church established in France by John Calvin about 1555. The Protestant Reformation was begun in Germany by Martin Luther about 1517. It spread rapidly in France, following the teaching of John Calvin. The new "Reformed religion" was practiced by many members of the French nobility and social middle-class but was opposed by the Catholic Church and the King of France.
These French Protestants were soon accused of heresy against the Catholic French government and the established religion of France. In 1536 a General Edict urged the extermination of these heretics (Huguenots), but Protestantism continued to spread and grow and the first Huguenot church was founded in Paris about 1555.
The French Reformers or Huguenots continued to gain in popularity despite the edict, which led to an increase conflict between the Huguenot and the Catholic Church/State. Eventually in 1562 there was a fight at Vassay France and 1,200 Huguenots were killed. This was the beginning of the French Wars of Religion which would last for thirty-five years.
In April 1598 the Edict of Nantes was signed by Henry IV and this ended the Wars of Religion. The Edict of Nantes granted religious freedom to the French and allowed the Huguenots to follow their Protestant faith. This lasted for less than a hundred years, though, and with the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in October, 1685, persecution of the Huguenot began again.
The Promulgation of the Edict of Toleration in November, 1787, partially restored the civil and religious rights of Huguenots in France.
Hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled France to other countries during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Since the French Huguenots were often crafts people, artisans and other professionals they were welcomed in their new countries. Many of the Huguenot went to Germany, the Netherlands, and England. From there many Huguenots migrated to British North America, especially to the Carolinas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New York. Many prominent Americans have been of Huguenot descent including George Washington, John Quincy Adams, John Jay, Paul Revere, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
To learn more about the Huguenots go here: The National Huguenot Society.