I came across a blog recently that has a whole series of posts on various women of the Reformation. On this Reformation day, I thought I’d share. Some of the women are well-known: the wives of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, as well as Lady Jane Grey, but many less well-known. I encourage you to read and remember the women who played such vital roles in the formation of the Protestant church.

The author of the blog prefaces the series:

Most of us are familiar with the great figures of the Protestant Reformation. Names like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli are a few that come to mind. Yet, the story of the Reformation cannot be told without including the accounts of countless women who, alongside their male counterparts, played a vital role in the early formation of the Protestant Church.

In the spirit of the Reformation, these women defied human tradition to lay hold of eternal life. For most, a stand for the Gospel would cost them all they had. It meant enduring evil and hurtful slander from the religious establishment. Many were suddenly catapulted into a world of isolation and treated harshly by those who thought they were doing God a service. Some were called to lay down their lives and make the ultimate sacrifice. Yet, all of these women inherited something better and they stand with the throng of witnesses described in Hebrews 12 as an encouragement for us today.

Katharina Von Bora Luther
Idelette De Bure Calvin
Anna Reinhard Zwingli
Joan Waste
Anne Bradstreet
Renée de France
Katherina Schutz Zell
Argula Von Gumbach and Eizabeth of Braunschweig
Jeanne-d’Albret
Olympia Fulvia Morata
Lady Jane Grey
Catherine Willoughby
Anne Askewe