Today I give you an insight into the branches of Reformation to those who like history. The Reformation splintered into various factions. Luther, influenced by German princes, saw secularizing church lands as a path to independence from the pope and emperor. While reforms favored the urban bourgeoisie, the abolition of usury hurt them. The Anabaptists, led by Thomas Müntzer, called for wealth equality and the abolition of hierarchy, inspiring revolts like the German Peasants’ War, which Luther opposed.
Luther also clashed with Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli over the Eucharist, with Zwingli’s ideas later advanced by John Calvin. Calvin’s doctrine of predestination and emphasis on church governance through local communities shaped Calvinism, which spread in Switzerland, the Netherlands, England, France, and Hungary. Calvinism rejected the pomp of rituals and focused on moral rigor.
The third branch was Anti-Trinitarianism, or Unitarianism, which denied the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Its founder, Miguel Servetus, was executed by Calvin. Despite persecution, Unitarianism gained a foothold in Hungary and briefly in Poland.