ABSTRACT
Russia was by no means as popular a destination for Huguenot refugees as some other countries. However, Russia was an Orthodox land and Peter the Great went out of his way to encourage the settlement of communities of foreign experts. As a result, some Huguenot soldiers and civilians made their way to Russia and, throughout the early years of the eighteenth century, many of them arrived from established communities in Germany and just one source cites 45 families of Huguenot descent that settled in Russia in the early 1700s. As with their employment elsewhere in Europe, Huguenots were taken on in Russia because the country was in a state of war and in great need of experienced and competent army personnel. What the Huguenots got from Russia was yet another place to settle, and one in which their particular skills were valued and put to good use by grateful masters.
