The Impact of Reformation
OVERVIEW
The Reformation was always about more than Luther and Lutheranism, and neither was it a uniquely German phenomenon. This lecture looks at developments in the decades after Luther's death, and particularly at the second major wave of Protestant beliefs and organization - the individuals and groups known as 'the Reformed' and sometimes as 'Calvinists', after their leading figure Jean Calvin. The Reformed church emerged from debates between early Lutherans and from other reformers working independently of Luther. The Reformed church itself took on different forms as it spread across Europe. The proliferation of new creeds led to division, violence, and sometimes to collaboration and co-existence. This lecture aims to make sense of the plurality of the Protestant Reformation.
The seminar explores the Calvinist Reformation through introductory works. This is a crucial genre of historical writing, and one you will need to use in your assignments. There are many introductions to the Calvinist Reformation: textbook chapters, encyclopaedia articles, chapters in scholarly companions, and so on. These introductions vary widely in terms of their length, coverage, and quality. Read the introductions below, focusing on the question of why Calvinism caught on in the sixteenth century.
ESSENTIAL SCHOLARLY READING
Roberts, Penny. 鈥楾he Long Reformation: Reformed.鈥� In Beat K眉min (ed.), The European World, 1500-1800, 4th edn. (2022), 188-200 [page numbers corrected 19/10/26]
Eire, Carlos. 鈥楥alvinism and the Reform of the Reformation.鈥� In P. Marshall (ed.), The Oxford Illustrated History of the Reformation (2015), section 3 [the pagination varies according to digital editions - either pp. 76-114 or 101-140]
ESSENTIAL NON-SCHOLARLY READING
Anonymous. 鈥楬istory of Reformed Christianity.鈥� Wikipedia.org
The response of an AI chatbot of your choice to a prompt of your choice, eg. 'give me a short summary of why Calvinism caught on in the sixteenth century'
Note: if you object to the use of genAI (generative artificial intelligence) in principle, for example on ethical or environmental grounds, you do not need to do the last reading. In that case, come prepared to talk about your objections.
QUESTIONS
- what answer does each source give?
- what are the pros and cons of each answer?
- is there a legitimate role for Wikipedia or AI chatbots as a source of introductory material on historical topics? You may find the department's guidance on this topic useful.
RECOMMENDED READING
Johnson, Trevor, 鈥楾he Reformation and Popular Culture鈥�, in in A. Pettegree, (ed.), (2000), chap 30, pp. 545-60 (ebook)
K眉min, Beat, 鈥楻ural Society鈥�, in Ulinka Rublack (ed.), (2016 [Oxford Handbooks online]
Kingdon, Robert M., 鈥楥alvin and Geneva鈥� in R. Hsia (ed.), A Companion to the Reformation World (2006) (ebook), pp. 115-17
Marshall, Peter, 鈥楻eligious Culture in Early Modern Europe鈥�, in Beat K眉min (ed.), (3rd ed, 2018), pp. 135-45
Strauss, Gerald, 鈥樷��, Past and Present, 67 (1975)
FURTHER READING
Benedict, P., (2002) (ebook)
Gordon, Bruce, (2009) (ebook)
Hsia, R. P., Social Discipline in the Reformation 1550-1750 (1989)
J.M. Kittelson, 鈥楽uccesses and Failures in the German Reformation: Strasbourg鈥�, Archiv f眉r Reformationsgeschichte/Archive for Reformation History 73 (1982)
Murdock, Graeme, Beyond Calvin: The Intellectual, Political and Cultural World of Europe's Reformed Churches (2004)
Naphy, William G., 鈥楥alvin and Geneva鈥�, in A. Pettegree, (ed.), (2000), chap 18, pp. 309-22 (ebook)
Nelson Burnett, Amy, , Past and Present, 211 (2011), 77-119.
Parker, 鈥樷��, Past and Present, 136 (1992)
Pettegree, A. et al. (eds), Calvinism in Europe, 1540-1620 (1994)
Prestwich, M. (ed.), International Calvinism, 1541-1715 (1985)
Scribner, B. et al. (eds), (1994) (ebook), esp. chs. 2-6
Todd, M., The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland (2002)
Source: ETM 2025-26 website. Large image.
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
John Calvin, (1536-59)
John Foxe, [Book of Martyrs]
(1560, 1578)
For another visualisation of theology see or