History of Protestantism

Protestantism originated from work of several theologians starting in the 12th century, although there could have been earlier cases of which there is no surviving evidence. Any dissent was a subject to persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, and thus attempts to change anything in the Catholic Church were kept isolated or effectively eradicated up to the 16th century. One of the early Protestant Reformers was John Wycliffe, an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the 14th century. His followers, known as Lollards, spread throughout England but soon were persecuted by both the Catholic Church and the crown. Wycliffe influenced Jan Hus, a Czech priest from Prague, whose followers waged the Hussite Wars after he was burned on the stake following a decision made by the Council of Constance. Five crusades[1] were proclaimed against Bohemia by the Pope (in 1420, 1421, 1422, 1427, and 1431), though all of them were defeated by Hussite Czechs. Hussites divided early on into Radical Hussites and Moderate Hussites who opposed each other in the Hussite Wars. Utraquism eventually prevailed. Utraquist Hussites dominated the Kingdom of Bohemia, and later spread into other Lands of the Bohemian Crown that included Silesia and Moravia. Both Wycliffe and Hus preached against indulgences.[2][3] Hus wrote his Six Errors, fixed to the door of his church, in which he criticized corruption of the clergy[4] and touched on other topics which under the later Luther became the key to Reformation. After the Battle of White Mountain, persecuted Hussites established minor churches such as the Unity of the Brethren (and its international branch Moravian Church).