Prior to Calvin's publication in 1536 of his Institutes of the Christian Religion, a reform movement already existed in France. Despite persecution, the movement grew. Under King Henry II reprisals became more severe. Nevertheless, in 1559, the first French national synod was held, and a Presbyterian church modeled on Calvin's reform in Geneva was founded. During the Wars of Religion the Huguenots suffered greatly, especially in the massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day (1572). In 1598, Henry IV, by issuing the Edict of Nantes, established Protestantism in 200 towns, proclaimed freedom of worship, and allowed substantial political independence.
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- Huguenots An extensive history of this tradition in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
- Who Were the Huguenots? A history published by the National Huguenot Society.
- Huguenots A Wikipedia article describing the Wars of Religion, the exodus of Huguenots from France and the legacy of the Huguenots.
- History of the Reformed Church of Quebec An extensive history, including the early influence of the Huguenots in Canada.
- A History of the Huguenots An online book by W. Carlos Martyn, published in 1866, on the history of French Protestantism.
- History of the Rise of the Huguenots Volume 1 of a Project Gutenberg eBook by Henry M. Baird, from the beginning of the French Reformation to the Edict of January in 1562.
- Huguenot History Extensive history with a timeline and many links to other sites.
- Our Huguenot Ancestors A slide format history of the Huguenots in Canada.