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Timeline 1500 - 1599

1504
b. Heinrich Bullinger
1507
Luther is ordained as a preist at Erfurt
1507
Henry VIII becomes King of England in 1509
1509
b. John Calvin
1510
Luther sent to Rome on monastic business. He saw the corruption of the church
1513
Leo X becomes Pope
1514
b. John Knox
1515
While teaching on Romans, Luther realizes faith and justification are the work of God
1517
Zwingli's reform is also underway
Oct 31, 1517
Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. It is the first public act of the Reformation
1519
Charles V becomes Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire
Jan 3, 1521
Luther is excommunicated. Wikipedia entry...
Apr 17, 1521
“Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. [Here I stand. I can do no other.] God help me. Amen.” - Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms. The bracketed part probably wasn’t actually spoken, but it has long been associated with the speech, and is often quoted. Think of it as a famous, almost contemporary, summary of the actual speech.
1525
The Bondage of the Will. Many of the essays, discourses, treatises, conversations, etc. that Luther had over the years are collected in his Table Talk
Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach der Ältere

Martin Luther by Lucas Cranach der Ältere, painted in 1526 - a portrait that is considered the one that bears the closest resemblance to Martin Luther

1529
The Colloquy of Marburg Luther and Zwingli met, but could not iron out their differences on the theology of the Lord's Supper. Wikipedia entry...
1531
d. Ulrich Zwingli
c. 1532
Calvin's conversion
1534
Henry VIII declares himself "The only supreme head in earth of the Church of England"
1535
Anabaptists take over Muenster
1536
d. Erasmus
1536
Menno Simons rejects Catholicism, becomes an Anabaptist, and helps restore that movement back to pacifism
1536
William Tyndale strangled and burned at the stake. He was the first to translate the Bible into English from the original languages
1536
First edition of Calvin's Institutes
1540
Jesuit order is founded. The Catholic Reformation is under way
c. 1543
Knox converted
1545
The Council of Trent begins
1546
d. Luther
1547
The young Edward VI becomes King of England. The Duke of Somerset acts as regent, and many reforms take place
1549
Consensus Tigurinus brings Zwinglians and Calvinists to agreement about communion
1553
Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) begins her reign. Many protestants who flee Mary's reign are deeply impacted by exposure to a more true reformation on the continent. John Knox is among them
1558
Elizabeth is crowned, the Marian exiles return
1559
Last edition of the Institutes
1559
The Act of Uniformity makes the 1559 Book of Common Prayer the standard in the Church of England and penalizes anyone who fails to use it. It is not reformed enough for the Puritans
1560
b. Jacobus Arminius
1560
Parliament approves the Scot's Confession, penned by the six Johns (including Knox)
1561
d. pacifist Anabaptist leader Menno Simons
1563
The Council of Trent is finished
1564
d. John Calvin
1566
1567 - 1568
The Vestments Controversy. Puritans did not want the ceremony and ritual symbolized by the robes of the Church of England
1571
Thirty Nine Articles are finalized
1572
d. John Knox
1572
b. John Donne, devout Anglican minister and poet
1572
Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day, the worst persecution of Huguenots
1575
d. Bullinger
1582
The General Assembly in Scotland, with Andrew Melville as moderator, ratifies the "Second Book of Discipline." It has been called the Magna Carta of Presbyterianism
1593
b. George Herbert, Anglican country parson and poet
1596
b. Moses Amyrald, founder of Amyraldianism, which is basically Calvinism minus limited atonement. Amyraldianism became the theology of the School of Saumer in France
1596
b. Descartes, founder of rationalism
1598
Edict of Nantes grants Huguenots greater religious freedom