Zwingli, Huldrych (1484–1531)

Born in the Swiss town of Wildhaus, Huldrych Zwingli was a first‐generation leader along with Martin Luther in what would later be known as the Protestant Reformation. His first public writings expressing clear sympathies for the Reformation date to 1522, although in the years prior he had taken steps sympathetic with the position of Luther. Zwingli dates his decisive shift to the year 1516, when he decided to preach the gospel directly from the scriptures. For the next decade Zwingli would be a major figure in the spread of the Reformation among the Swiss cantons, particularly in Zurich, where he had been called to minister in 1519. He spoke out against medieval church practices such as tithes, indulgences, and invocation of saints.