Page 27 - All About History - Issue 53-17

SIR THOMAS MORE
Sir Thomas More
preferred to die ENGLISH 1478-1535
than betray the As Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More was one
Catholic Church
of King Henry VIII’s most trusted advisors, but
religious differences brought a fatal end to their
relationship. A devout Catholic, More disapproved
of Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon and
decision to break from Rome. He resigned from the
chancellorship but when he refused to swear an
oath to the new head of the Church of England he
was arrested, found guilty of treason and beheaded.

“I die the King’s good Charles V struggled
to hold his empire
servant, but God’s first” together throughout the
Reformation
Sir last words of Sir Thomas More CHARLES V, HOLY ROMAN
Thomas More
was canonised by JAN HUS EMPEROR SPANISH 1500-1558
the Catholic Church CZECH 1369-1415 During his reign as Holy Roman Emperor, Charles
V faced three main challenges: rivalry with
as saint in 1935 and Influenced by the writings of France, war with the Turks, and the spread of the
has been deemed a John Wycliffe, the preacher Jan Protestant movement. As a devout Catholic, he
Hus attacked the moral failings opposed Protestantism, but the first two battles
‘Reformation martyr’ of the clergy a full century before largely distracted him from the third. He officially
by the Church of Martin Luther arrived. He became rejected Martin Luther’s teachings in 1521, although
a prominent representative of the he agreed that the Catholic Church was in need of
England Bohemian Reformation, a predecessor to reform. However, opposition from both Protestants
Protestantism and, as a result, was met with and Catholics meant that he failed to get anything
a great deal of resistance from the papacy. In 1414, he was called to done about either.
justify his views at the Council of Constance, which was set up to
Jan Hus was one of the first
find a solution to the divide within the Church. Hus was promised church reformers
safe-conduct, but when he refused to recant his writings, he was
condemned to death and burnt at the stake.

HULDRYCH ZWINGLI

SWISS 1484-1531
Under Huldrych Zwingli’s leadership as the priest of Grossmünster, the Reformation was widely adopted
in Zurich. He passionately preached against the excessive veneration of saints, the celibacy of the
priesthood and fasting, sharing in Martin Luther’s view on the authority of the Bible. However, he applied
Huldrych Zwingli was the leader
its teachings more rigorously than Luther and was met with resistance from Catholics outside of Zurich. of the Swiss Reformation
While accompanying the city’s forces into battle against them, he was killed aged 47.
JOHN CALVIN
JOHN KNOX FRENCH 1509-1564

SCOTTISH CIRCA 1513-1572 While Martin Luther’s teachings were
Although he was training to be a Roman spreading through France, law student John
Catholic priest, John Knox began to take Calvin was developing his own ideas about
notice of the Protestant Reformation Christian theology. In 1533, he broke from
sweeping through Europe, particularly the Roman Catholic Church and, because
the teachings of John Calvin. He soon the French government was against the
began preaching for reform in Scotland, Reformation, was forced to flee to Switzerland.
John Knox was the
leader of the Scottish but when Mary Queen of Scots, a There he published Institutes of the Christian
Reformation John Calvin
devout Roman Catholic, was crowned, Religion, a statement of Protestant belief that
is considered
he was forced to flee to England and Luther’s successor emphasised the sovereignty of the scriptures
then Europe. Upon his return, he helped in leading the and the doctrine of predestination. He soon
Protestant
form the Scottish Reformed Church and Reformation became a minister in Strasbourg and was
led the Protestants throughout Queen then invited to Geneva, where he led a reform
Mary’s reign. movement that influenced Protestantism
throughout Europe and North America.
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