In 1698, the Duke of Savoy expelled all Waldensians from Piedmont who had been born as subjects of King Louis XIV of France. This affected almost 3000 Waldensians from the Chisone Valley. The Waldensians from the upper half of the valley (the Val Pragelato) found refuge in Hesse in 1699 and founded the colonies of Charlottenberg, Dornholzhausen, Rohrbach-Wembach-Hahn, Waldensberg, and Walldorf. The Waldensians from the lower half of the valley (the Val Perosa) were accepted in Württemberg and founded Gross- and Kleinvillars, Perouse, Pinache, and Serres there.
Later, many Waldensians from Hesse also moved to Württemberg and founded Neuhengstett, Nordhausen, and Palmbach. The Waldensians who came to Germany were mostly poor mountain farmers in Italy and continued to work as farmers in Germany. In some Waldensian villages, hosiery knitting also flourished during the 18th century. From the end of the 18th century, many Waldensians emigrated to the USA due to poverty.
The Waldensians were granted the right to religious freedom in Germany. They did not have to become Lutherans, but were allowed to retain their Calvinist-Presbyterian church order and continue to worship in the French language. In the 1820s, however, they were integrated into the Lutheran Church and gradually became Germans. Nevertheless, there are still many reminders of the past in the former Waldensian villages, not only church buildings and houses, but also French surnames, inscriptions, field names and legends.