Huguenot America

OKay so heres my idea.

After Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes between Approx 200,000-900,000 Huguenots fled France mainly to Europe but also to England, North America and South Africa. But WI upwards of 250,000 or more fled to America. I'm thinking of a charismatic leader desiring to build a great protestant nation in America, having a similar vision to what the Pilgrims had(a shining city on the hill).

At this time America had approx 250,000-300,000 people most of course were rural however the Huguenots would tend to prefer urbanized living as many were skilled craftsmen what effects could such a migration have on America. Obviously a much more populous and economically advanced America.

Constructive criticism welcome
 

Baskilisk

Banned
I think an easier way to do this is to keep the Edict of Nantes around and find a way to get Huguenots allowed to emigrate to New France. That way they'd technically be legal in France, but heavily abused.
 
Well I think that would rather be more difficult as it goes against over a century of colonial policy and against the ideological views of the Louis XIV's perfect autocracy. I guess what is needed is Britain to make the effort to develop her colonies more quicky and other european nations to be less receptive say suspicous of French influence.
 
A bit in advance of the Edict, but delay the first Huguenot/Catholic war by just a year or two. I'm not sure how to do that, but if you can get that to happen, Jean Ribault can get a good lot of colonists and supplies without going to the English and getting arrested and get back before Charlesfort is abandoned. By the time the Spanish notice anything, there'll be a fairly strong colony in South Carolina, with strong local support. This gives the Huguenots their own place to go, so many that went to other colonies will go there instead.

Could be other religious refugees/immigrant would go there in the intervening century. I'm thinking Moravians specifically.

If the Edict of Nantes occurs (a lesser population of Huguenots in France may butterfly that), then there's already a strong Huguenot colony in place to take the refugees.
 
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