2.3 The Spread of the Protestant Reformation

Reformation splinters into many branches

After Luther, the Reformation diversified. Zwinglianism spread in Switzerland, emphasizing a symbolic view of communion. Calvinism, founded by John Calvin in Geneva, stressed predestination and strict moral discipline, spreading to France (Huguenots), Scotland (Presbyterians), and the Netherlands. Anabaptists rejected infant baptism and church-state ties, facing persecution from Catholics and Protestants alike.

England breaks from Rome

Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church after the pope refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The Act of Supremacy (1534) made him head of the Church of England (Anglican Church), blending Protestant and Catholic elements. Under his successors, England swung between Protestant and Catholic rule (Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I).

Printing press and politics fuel spread

The printing press allowed Reformation ideas to spread rapidly and cheaply via pamphlets and vernacular Bibles, reaching literate townspeople and nobles. Political rulers often adopted Protestantism to gain church lands, weaken papal/imperial authority, or assert independence, tying religious reform to the growth of state power and early nationalism.

Key terms

Calvinism

Reformed theology by John Calvin centered on predestination; spread to France, Scotland, and the Netherlands.

Anabaptists

Radical reformers who rejected infant baptism and church-state unity; persecuted by Catholics and Protestants.

Act of Supremacy (1534)

English law making Henry VIII head of the Church of England, breaking ties with the pope.

Huguenots

French Protestants who followed Calvinist teachings, often persecuted by the Catholic monarchy.

Role of printing press in Reformation

Enabled rapid, cheap spread of Protestant ideas through pamphlets and vernacular Bibles.

Try an AP-style question

John Calvin's key doctrine was…

1. transubstantiation
2. salvation by indulgences
3. predestination
4. papal infallibility