Henri Arnaud (July 15, 1643 (and not 1641[1]), Embrun, Hautes-Alpes – September 8, 1721) was a pastor of the Waldensians in Piedmont, who turned soldier in order to protect his co-religionists from persecution at the hands of Victor Amadeus II the Duke of Savoy.

About 1650 his family returned to their native valley of Luserna, where Arnaud was educated at La Tour (the chief village), later visiting the college at Basel (1662 and 1668) and the academy at Geneva (1666).

[2] He was thus the natural leader of his co-religionists after Victor Amadeus II of Savoy expelled them (1686) from their valleys, and most probably visited Holland; William of Orange, the ruler of that province, certainly gave him help and money.

Furnished with detailed instructions from the veteran Joshua Janavel (prevented by age from taking part in the expedition) Arnaud, with about 1,000 followers, started on 17 August 1689 from near Nyon on Lake Geneva for their return.

It was during his retirement that he compiled from various documents by other hands his Histoire de la glorieuse rentrée des Vaudois dans leurs vallées, which was published (probably at Kassel) in 1710, with a dedication to Queen Anne.