Hugenotten

Hugenotten, German name for the French Huguenots or Calvinist Protestants who, suffering persecution in France especially after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, sought and were granted asylum in various German states, notably Brandenburg (see Friedrich Wilhelm, der Grosse Kurfürst). Their contribution to the economic and cultural life of Germany and especially Prussia was far-reaching. German writers of Huguenot descent include F. de la Motte Fouqué and Th. Fontane. The names of a large number of distinguished army officers also derive from this source. (See also Calvinism.)