Reverend Jean de la Vigne, b: ca. 1550 in Valenciennes, capital of the "Hainaut francaise" province, was a French-speaking Protestant minister. As such he and his family were especially targeted by Roman Catholic zealots who considered them as "heretics" or "apostates". They particularly reviled married clergy of the Reformed faith. When the Protestants lost control of Valenciennes in 1585, Rev. de la Vigne fled to Amsterdam, capital of the independent, Protestant-led, Dutch Republic. He was pastor of a Walloon French-speaking Reformed church there until his death in 1622.