Today we mark the death, in 1575, of Heinrich Bullinger, one of the leading Swiss Protestant Reformers. He was born in 1504, and interestingly, his story overlapped with that of the Tudors in that, when he was 12, he was sent to school in Cleves. In 1519 he went to university in Cologne, just as Martin Luther’s protests against the church were becoming popular.
He moved to Switzerland where he became a leading light of the Reformation, putting together a sort of early newsletter of all of the political developments that affected the Protestant church all over Europe. During the reign of Mary I he helped take in many of the refugee Protestants who were leaving England, and then, after Mary’s death, his writings found their way back to England when those same refugees returned home. He wrote over 127 titles. Already during his lifetime they were translated in several languages and counted among the best known theological works in Europe.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com where there is a series on the Protestant Reformation.
Episode Link:
October is Reformation Month
https://www.englandcast.com/2017/10/october-reformation-month/