W genealogical glossary terms: Difference between revisions

Waldensians: A Christian church founded by Peter Waldo (or Valdo) of Lyon, France. In 1173 Waldo left his wife and gave his fortune to the church and to charities. He began preaching on the streets of Lyon. Many people were attracted by his voluntary poverty and his message of devotion to the church. The movement soon spread into Germany, Flanders, and Aragon. Waldo's followers became known as the poor men of Lyon. At first the pope and the Archbishop of Lyon approved of Waldo's actions. However, the next pope and archbishop forbade him to preach, citing the facts that Waldo was not a priest and that many of his teachings differed from Catholicism. In 1184 Pope Lucius III excommunicated the Waldensians. Many Waldensians adopted the doctrines and religions of the Protestant Reformation during the 1500s. In 1545 hundreds of French Waldensians were executed in the towns of Cabrières and Merindol. Persecution caused many Waldensians to move as far away as Uruguay and Argentina.