Principal Individuals Leading up to the Thirty Years’ War 1616-1648
Charles V Burgundy, Spain, the Netherlands, etc. 1500-1558	Head of the Holy Roman Empire. Grandson of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Faced Luther at the Diet of Worms in 1521. Spent his days in war with Islam. He was allied with Rome against France, and then France was allied with Rome against Charles. His grand design was to defeat Islam, reunite the Eastern and Western Churches and gain control of the papacy, and use Luther to bring reform to the Church along the lines of the Spanish reform of the church under his grandmother, Isabella.
Henry VIII England Scotland, Wales 1491-1547	Focus upon his six wives obscures the significance of his reign. In 1509 married Catharine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, the widow of his brother Arthur, who died in 1502. Only Mary survived of this union. Desperate for a male heir, Henry attempted to have Rome annul the marriage, which would have happened had it not been for the intervention of Charles V, the nephew of Catharine. The result was Henry’s revolt against Rome, the founding of the Church of England, and a Protestant America.
Francis I France 1494-1547	The third great humanistic king in Europe, a child of the Renaissance. He resisted the advance of the power of Charles V, and the French were soundly thrashed at Pavia and was held captive in Madrid for a number of years. He signed a humiliating treaty, was released, repudiated the treaty and allied himself with the Ottomans and Islam against Charles V.
Pope Leo X Florence and Rome Medici. 1475-1521	Pope from 1513-1521. Protagonist of Luther, a thorough-going humanist, and lover of pleasure. Said, “We now have the papacy. Let us enjoy it.” He also was reputed to have declared the story of Jesus a fable. Raphael, Michaelangelo and other made Rome magnificent, paid for by indulgences gathered in Europe. Refused all attempts and sober and wise warning from many in the church. Leo left the church unreformed and under assault by Luther with other reformers arising in the shadows.
Luther Germany 1483-1546	His intense personal struggles with guilt brought him to study of the bible and the restoration of justification by faith. On October 31, 1517, In protest against the sale of indulgences, he posted 95 theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, offering to debate anyone on the subject. The result was the Protestant Reformation.
Elector Frederick III Saxony 1463-1525	Called “Frederick the Wise,” befriended Luther, although they never met. After Worms, he had Luther kidnapped and held secretly at Wartburg Castle to protect him from the long arm of Rome.
Zwingli Zurich Switzerland 1484-1531	Brought up as a humanist, following the teachings of Erasmus. He reformed the church in Zurich. His great contribution to the Reformation was his recognition of the worship of images and idols was foundational to the piety of the Roman church, holding the people in bondage socially and economically. Through the teachings of Calvin, his ideas were spread throughout Germany, especially in the Palatinate. He died in battle against the Catholic Cantons.
Ignatius Loyola 1491-1556	Founder of the Society of Jesus [Jesuits]. Studied at the University of Paris when Calvin was there. The Jesuits became one of the leading swords against the Reformation. They also subverted and destroyed much of the influence of the other orders because they were exempt from the authority of anyone except the Pope.
John Calvin 1509-1564	Frenchman whose greatest work was in Geneva. The Catholic Encyclopedia calls him the “the greatest of Protestant divines, and perhaps, after St. Augustine, the most perseveringly followed by his disciples of any Western writer on theology.” Those who followed his teachings came to be called “Reformed,” especially in Holland, Switzerland, and Germany.
Elector Frederick III Palatinate Ruled 1559-1577	Casper Olivianus and Zacharias Ursinus, professors at the University of Heidelberg, produce the famous Heidelberg Catechism, designed to confess the universal Christian faith. It became one of the Three Forms of Unity, the confessions of the Reformed Churches throughout the world. During this time the Palatinate became a center of Protestantism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism.
Philip II Spain and Holland 1527-1598	Succeeded Charles V, his father, to the rule of Spain and Holland. Married Mary of England and contended with Elizabeth after Mary’s death. Outraged over the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Elizabeth in 1587, he sent the Great Armada, which was destroyed in 1588. Tried to stamp out the reformation in Holland, and caused the separation of the Dutch from Spanish rule.
William of Orange Holland 1533-1584.	Also called William the Silent and William of Nassau. The great hero of Dutch Protestantism. He had served ably as a diplomat for Philip II, but resisted the encroachment of Philip upon the liberties of the Dutch. He was assassinated by one in the pay of Philip.
Elizabeth I England 1533-1603	One of the greatest of English Monarchs. The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, who was executed for adultery. Henry never forgave Elizabeth for being Anne’s daughter, but she was a survivor and solidified the Reformation in England.

Copyright, C. W. Powell, New Geneva Seminary, Colorado Springs. 2004. Permission to copy in any form, electronic or written, must be obtained in writing from C. W. Powell, New Geneva Theological Seminary, Colorado Springs, CO.