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Year 10
Edexcel

Case study: Huguenots

I can explain the reasons for Huguenot migration to England, as well as the experiences and impact of Huguenot migrants.

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Year 10
Edexcel

Case study: Huguenots

I can explain the reasons for Huguenot migration to England, as well as the experiences and impact of Huguenot migrants.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Tens of thousands of Huguenot migrants settled in England in the 1680s as a result of religious persecution in France.
  2. Most Huguenots had positive experiences as they were wealthy migrants who received great protection from the monarch.
  3. Huguenots migrants had the greatest impact on the English economy, although they also impacted English culture.

Keywords

  • Naturalise - to be given the same rights as a citizen of a nation

Common misconception

Huguenots had to settle in England as it was the only Protestant nation in Europe.

Huguenots were looking to flee to a safe Protestant nation, and England became the choice for around 50 000 Huguenots as it was known to be more tolerant - not because there were no other nations where Huguenots could settle.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Case study: Huguenots, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Teachers may find it useful to compare the experiences of Huguenot migrants to those of earlier Flemish and Walloons migrants. Fruitful questioning would centre around asking pupils to consider which groups had the more positive experiences and why they think this was.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Adult supervision recommended

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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes a movement in the 1500s that led to several European nations converting from Catholicism to Protestantism?
Correct Answer: Reformation
Q2.
Which word describes showing willingness to accept or allow beliefs, opinions and behaviour that you may not agree with or share?
Correct Answer: tolerant
Q3.
Which group of migrants were reinvitied to England by Puritan rulers in 1655?
Walloon migrants
Correct answer: Jewish migrants
African migrants
Flemish migrants
Q4.
Which of the following statements show negative experiences for Jewish migrants in England in the early modern period?
Some had successful businesses.
Correct answer: There was opposition amongst English merchants who feared the competition.
King Charles II upheld and extended Cromwell’s invite to Jewish migrants.
Correct answer: King Charles II received several petitions to overrule Cromwell’s decision.
Q5.
Which of the following statements explains the economic reasons for Jewish migration?
Puritans believed that Jewish people needed to be converted to Christianity.
Correct answer: Puritan leaders wanted the opportunity to help rebuild the English economy.
Correct answer: Many Jewish migrants had improved the Dutch economy when they moved there.
England had become a stable Protestant nation since Elizabeth I's rule.
Q6.
In what ways did Jewish migrants have an impact on early modern England?
The number of French-speaking churches rapidly increased.
Correct answer: The number of synagogues rapidly increased.
Correct answer: Judaism became an increasingly popular religion in England.
Hinduism became an increasingly popular religion in England.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word describes to be given the same rights as a citizen of a nation?
Correct Answer: naturalise, naturalised
Q2.
Which group migrated to England in small numbers in the 1550s and then in larger numbers in 1685?
Jewish migrants
Walloon migrants
African migrants
Correct answer: Huguenot migrants
Q3.
Which event led to around 50 000 Huguenots migrating to England in the 1680s?
the revoking of the Edict of Protestants
Correct answer: the revoking of the Edict of Nantes
the revoking of the Edict of Henry IV
Q4.
Put the following events in chronological order.
1 - The Reformation began in Germany
2 - Increasing numbers of people converted to Protestantism
3 - The first group of Huguenots migrated to England
4 - The French King Louis XIV revoked religious tolertation
5 - Between 40 000 and 50 000 Huguenots settled in England
Q5.
Which of the following statements explains how the Huguenot migrants were financially supported?
In 1709, an act to naturalise all Protestant migrants was passed.
Correct answer: William III and Mary II raised £39 000 to help resettle the refugees.
Catholic churches raised £39 000 to help resettle the refugees.
In 1711, the act to naturalise all Protestant migrants was revoked.
Q6.
Complete the sentence with the missing information: In the Bank of England was set up with Huguenot sponsors giving __________ of the £1.2 million used to open the bank.
1684
Correct answer: 1694
Correct answer: £104 000
£194 000

Additional material

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