Arnaud, Henri (1641–1721)

French pastor and leader of the Waldenses, or Vaudois, of Piedmont after their expulsion by Victor Amadeus of Savoy. In 1689 he led an unsuccessful expedition to restore them to their home territory. They were eventually forced to leave France, and Arnaud went into exile in Germany where he wrote his Histoire de la glorieuse rentrée des Vaudois dans leurs vallées 1719.

Arnaud was born at Embrun. He was educated at La Tour, and afterwards at Basel and Geneva. He was later appointed pastor at the village of La Tour. His 1689 expedition led to almost unsurpassable difficulties when they were besieged during the whole winter by the French and the Savoyards; but in 1690 the Duke of Savoy became an ally of William III of England and for the next few years Arnaud and the Waldenses helped the allies to fight the French. At the end of the war the Duke turned against the Waldenses again, and about 3,000 of them followed Arnaud to Germany.