Migratory flows (16th–19th century)

The 1685 refugees found on their way French speaking reformed churches already set up by their co-religionists. From some regions of France and Belgium, those had fled the religious persecutions attendant to the 16^th century Wars of Religion and the degradation in the implementation of the Edict of Nantes (« the choking of the last gulp of life » Janine Garrisson) in the 17^th century. As early as the 1660s the religious and political authorities of some of the “Refuge” countries began to record data on their Protestant refugees in registers to that effect. On foot, in carriages or boats... via diverse routes and towards many destination, the refugees who set off from gathering points such as Lyon or Nice still head mostly for European Protestant countries : Switzerland, Germany, the United Provinces and England ; in smaller number some travel to the Scandinavian countries or Russia ; a last group make their way, often on a second leg, to America (New York, South Carolina) or South Africa.

Under which conditions did the Huguenots live their country ? The Revocation terms are clear : the Pastors were given two weeks maximum to leave whereas their congregation – supposedly converted or in the process of doing so – were forbidden to flee abroad. This meant that most of the 150 to 200,000 Huguenots who left France had to do so secretly. As pointed out by Myriam Yardeni, this might at first appear an easier operation for the poor than for the rich. While the latter must attend to the sale or transfer of their property, the former can set off for exile straight away. Conversely once engaged on that path, things became much more complicated for the poor than for the rich. You had to take unknown and frequently dangerous routes, infested with brigands or idle mercenaries. Then you had to procure supplies, which was particularly difficult while on French territory, finally smugglers – not known for the depth of their scruples – had to be paid. So that the journey was much easier for those who had woven trading relationships in the regions they would have to cross, had the wherewithal to pay their way or had some contacts in the host country.

The French government did all it could to prevent the Protestants from leaving the country for the king did realise that, as current economic laws had it, the loss of men was a loss of wealth. Accordingly, he had Protestants liable to flee closely watched, stopping at no means of constraint in his intent not so much to punish the guilty parties as to dissuade potential ones : lawsuits, gaol, or galley slavery sentences were rife. He also resorted to heavy propaganda purporting to show that exile was a bad choice. For instance, he let it be known that 10,000 refugees who had reached England had reportedly starved to death. Not to be outdone the Protestants responded putting together the first elements of a mythology aiming to vaunt the enthusiastic welcome reserved for the victims of persecution.

One hotspot on the trail was the Frankfurt « hub » (Michèle Magdelaine). It so happens that the German city was home to important (notably French, German and Dutch) refugee communities as early as the 16^th century. The French-speaking community grew noticeably in the 17^th century, with ministers playing a significant theological ecclesial and political role. But what was Frankfurt's appeal for the refugees ? Close to the confluence of the Rhine and Main Rivers, the city is primarily a transportation and economic crossroads so it was easy to reach and to leave. Politically the city is a Reichunabhängig^[1]. Economically, it is already a very important financial centre. As a matter of fact, not all refugees transited through Frankfurt and if truth be told very few were allowed to remain there. But the city represented no less a key site of the Refuge. Here like elsewhere, the Huguenot flow began to increase from the early 1660s registering an impressive growth from 1680. According to Michèle Magdelaine, between 1685 and 1695, 63,700 refugees, no less, went through Frankfurt at least once ; there would be some 34,000 of them during the following decade.

From 1686, the presbytery of the French-speaking Reformed Church kept records stating the nature of the aid granted to refugees. These sources generally carry a good deal of data : names, first names, marital status, profession, local origin, route taken, destinations, sums granted. The refugees reaching Frankfurt often arrived alone, but also sometimes with their family, indeed sometimes their extended family, as was more frequently the case for country folks. We sometimes meet groups formed of people from the same region who met up in Switzerland whence they decided to travel together and who would live Frankfurt together for another destination. And lastly other groups would coalesce around a trade such as cloth-making for instance : it seems that opting to flee in that way was predicated on the wish to find work together, perhaps in the service of a prince. There are indeed cases when groups of people from the same trade answered the offers made by princes or burgomaster from such or such a region in Germany who had clearly advertised their wish to favour the implantation here of soldiers, there of craftsmen, elsewhere taking in all comers. This shows that the princes who promulgated Edicts of Tolerance in favour of the refugees were not without ulterior motives of an economic nature. Such is the case of Brandenburg and the Edict of Potsdam promulgated in 1685 by Elector Frederick William^[2] who was keen to attract to his Thirty Years War ravaged land Huguenots liable to repopulate the countryside and to kick-start the economy.

Refugees transiting through Frankfurt generally settled in Brandenburg or Hesse-Cassel, another Protestant principality whose Elector had also promulgated an Edict of Tolerance. Besides these two regions, the Low Countries also deserve a mention, especially Holland where Huguenots often stated they wished to go directly – unlike the refugees bound for Brandenburg, who also considered settling in Hesse, Bremen etc... As it happens Brandenburg, although it offered attractive terms, held little attraction for the refugees, who probably dreaded the almost total uprooting to a country where their language was not spoken and where the economic activity, farming in particular was dictated by weather conditions vastly different from those of Southern France : this was not the place for chestnut trees and vineyards. Failures were not negligible, some refugees returned to Frankfurt some fifteen times, not having found a stable job or defeated by the language barrier. Others, having heard that their relatives have stopped in a town or other, Geneva perhaps, returned there hoping to settle or rejoin the exile trail with their family. The majority seems to have put down roots ; others never managed it and relied on the generosity of benefactors until death.