The Waldensians (also known as Waldenses (/ w ɔː l ˈ d ɛ n s iː z, w ɒ l-/), Vallenses, Valdesi or Vaudois) are adherents of a church tradition that began as an ascetic movement within Western Christianity before the Reformation.. Originally known as the "Poor Men of Lyon" in the late twelfth century, the movement spread to the Cottian Alps in what are today France and Italy.

Peter Waldo (/ ˈ w ɔː l d oʊ, ˈ w ɒ l-/; c. 1140 – c. 1205; also Valdo, Valdes, Waldes; French: Pierre Vaudès, de Vaux, Latin: Petrus Waldus, Valdus) was the leader of the Waldensians, a Christian spiritual movement of the Middle Ages.. The tradition that his first name was "Peter" can only be traced back to the fourteenth century. This has caused some historians, such as Jana ...