The main Protestant guy

   The Reformation movement in France is mostly due to Jean Calvin. He studied in Paris and later went into Law. As he studied the sovereignty of God, he became convinced that God knows all and controls all. It is not man who looks for God, but God calls man and saves him. This doctrine came to be called predestination.

    Calvin took charge of the protestant movement in France but directed it from Geneva. Many French refugees, persecuted protestants , pastors and students joined him in Geneva. From 1520 the ideas of Luther came to France and a Bible was published in French, the language of the people.  Other literature spread throughout the country and soon the middle class, the artisans and the writers were interessed.  Some of the French nobility joined later for political reasons. Calvin unified and directed from Geneva. In 1561 there were more than 670 reformed churches in France and the French protestants were called "Huguenots".

    Because of persecution from the Catholics, the new movement had to get organized. A national synod was established and the local churches elected their pastors. The pastor preached and presided over communion and baptism.

    Repression began with the king, François I and became harder under Henri II. The Edict of Compiègne in 1557 said that any protestant that was fleeing or in revolt against the king could be beaten. Certains nobles were given permission to search for heretics in their territories. Anne du Bourg, a government magistrate, was burned for his protestant beliefs. 

     But the Reformation kept growing. After the death of Henri II, Catherine de Médicis and Michel de L'Hospital tried to unify the Catholic church with the protestant movement. They were not successful.

      The kings viewed protestantism as a rebellion against their authority. They wanted to crush it. However, this movement of the people could not be stopped. This led to the Wars of Religion in the second half of the 16th centuty.