Pre-Reformers,
the Protestant Reformation (1500s),
and Later European History
For a very detailed timeline of the Protestant Reformation, go here.
Compare different reformers at the same time. Click refresh to remove highlights.
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- Catholic/Counter Reformation does not begin until 1540.
- To clear highlighting, click refresh link for browser.
[Liberty students: While this timeline will give you a greater understanding of this time period,
you are not responsible for the additional information on the quiz.
The quiz will only come from information in the textbook.]
One note: Huguenots were French Calvinists.
Woodcut of Wycliffe from 1548
1376
Wycliffe's De Civili Domino (On Civil Lordship) circulated. In it, he maintained that, if clergy were not in a state of grace (that they were involved in many sins, for example), then the civil authorities could remove them. This idea placed the state over the Church for the first time since the Roman Empire.
1377
Pope Gregory XI condemned 19 of John Wycliffe's propositions while the pope was living in France, including the one above.
1377-8
Wycliffe's De Ecclesia (On the Church), De Veritate Sacrae Scripturae (On the Truth of the Holy Scriptures), and De Potestate Papae (On the Power of the Pope) circulated. In these three writings he states that the Bible is the sole determinant of doctrine, that no ecclesiastical authority can add anything to the biblical teachings, and that the Pope had no scriptural authority.
1382
The Wycliffe Bible appears (first Bible in English).
- Please note: This Bible was handwritten and not printed on the printing press, which was not invented until the 1450s. Also, it was a translation from the Latin Vulgate instead of from the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament.
A page from the Gospel of John from Wycliffe's Bible
Note: everything on this page was done by hand.
1382
Wycliffe's De Apostasia (On Apostasy) circulated. In it he denied that the religious life (monks, nuns, friars, monastic Orders) had any scriptural basis. He also circulated De Eucharistia (On the Eucharist) in which he denied the doctrine of transubstantiation (that the bread and wine of Communion become the body and blood of Jesus). Note: Wycliffe actually taught many of the ideas that were widely accepted during the Protestant Reformation.
1384
John Wycliffe died. His followers continued his teachings and became known as the Lollards.
1400
Around this time, John Huss became aware of John Wycliffe's writings. This occurred because the marriage of Anne, sister of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, to Richard II of England (in 1382) caused much exchange of culture and writings between Bohemia and England.
1414-8
The Council of Constance (in Germany) met. The Catholic Church returned to one pope.The Council also condemned over 200 of John Wycliffe's propositions and had his body dug up, and burned. The Council also condemned and executed John Huss by burning him at the stake. He was a church leader and held many of Wycliffe's ideas but on the other side of Europe in Bohemia (current day Czech Republic). He told them he was willing to recant if they could prove that he was wrong by Scripture (a defense later used by Luther).
1501
November 14: Arthur of England and Catherine of Aragon (Spain) married. They were both 15 years old; Arthur died five months later.
1501
Erasmus is becoming more prominent in Europe as the leading Christian scholar. To read an excerpt from a book he wrote this year, The Handbook of the Christian Soldier, go here.
1502
Frederick the Wise founded the University of Wittenberg. This is the school where Luther would one day teach, start the Protestant Reformation, and spend the rest of his life.
1502
April 2: Arthur died. This leaves Catherine of Aragon a widow at age 16 and she remained in England. Arthur's younger brother, Henry VIII, is next-in-line to the English throne; he is 10 years old.
1503
Henry VIII and Catherine were betrothed.
1505
Luther's thunderstorm incident. He was attending school in order to become a lawyer. He was caught in a field during a thunderstorm and said, "Help me, St. Anne, and I will become a monk." [Author's note: Anne was the mother of Mary the mother of Jesus.] He soon gave away his possessions and joined the Augustinian Order monastery in Erfurt, Germany. He is 22 years old.
1506 also
Zwingli ordained as a priest.
1506 also
Pope Julius II laid the cornerstone of the Basilica of St. Peter. The enormous cost of the cathedral caused the next pope to raise money through a special indulgence. That indulgence in 1516 prompted Luther to post the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg in 1517 in order to debate the issue.
Indulgences were opportunities for Catholics to reduce time in purgatory. One example of an indulgence was to go on a Crusade. Another example was to travel to see a relic at a church or monastery. (For a list of some of the relics available in the 1500's, go here.) In the case of the special indulgence during Luther's time, the pope wanted to raise money for renovating St. Peter's Basilica and issued a indulgence whereby people paid money for reduced time in purgatory. Plus, at least one friar, Tetzel, claimed that the special indulgence reduced time in Purgatory of people who had died and were already in Purgatory. In many cases, part of the money of this special indulgence stayed with the local bishop and the other part went to the pope.
1507
Luther began his theological studies in Erfurt and was ordained a priest. He was sent to study and teach at the University of Wittenberg and returned to Erfurt the next year.
1508
Michelangelo began painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. He finished it in 1512.
1509
Henry VII died and Henry VIII became king of England. Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon.
1509 also
John Calvin born.
1510
Catherine of Aragon miscarried a daughter.
1510 also
Luther sent to Rome on behalf of his Order. When he saw Rome for the first time, he fell to the ground and said, "How blessed are you, Holy Rome!" Yet, his trip turned sour as he witnessed many financial abuses of the Catholic Church against Christian pilgrims.
1510 also
By this time, Erasmus is exceedingly popular in Europe as a scholar and author.
1511
Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a son named Henry. He died 3 weeks later.
1512
The previous year, Luther returned to study at the University of Wittenburg, and, in this year, he received his doctorate degree and was officially hired at the University of Wittenberg.
1513
Catherine of Aragon was pregnant again but miscarried.
1514 also
Catherine of Aragon was pregnant again but miscarried.
1515
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Luther was placed in charge of 11 Augustinian monasteries.
1515 also
Catherine of Aragon was pregnant again but miscarried.
1516
Erasmus moved to the Netherlands and became a counselor to the future Emperor Charles V.
1516 also
The indulgence designed to raise money to renovate and enlarge St. Peter's Basilica was issued. This indulgence prompted Luther to write the 95 Theses.
1516 also
Catherine of Aragon finally gave birth to a child who lived, Mary. Mary would one day become queen.
1516 also
Erasmus' Greek edition of the New Testament was published. He did not write the New Testament in Greek; instea, he gathered the best and oldest sources of the Greek New Testament and compiled them into the most accurate version of the NT available up to that point. For example, the Vulgate (the Latin version used by the Catholic Church) rendered Matthew 4:17 as "do penance, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand," whereas Erasmus' version states "repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Reformers learned from Erasmus' version of this verse that God wanted repentance and not penance.
1517
John Tetzel traveled near Wittenberg and preached on indulgences. Frederick did not allow him to preach on indulgences in his territory. Tetzel's famous advertisement was "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs!" Some people in Wittenberg traveled to Tetzel in order to buy indulgences. Luther was irate because people from his town were buying indulgences.
1517: April
Erasmus wrote to Pope Leo X and said, "If ever there was a golden age, then there is good hope that ours will be one." Erasmus wanted to change the Catholic Church but from the inside. He understood how far he could push the Catholic Church without getting into trouble. He later realize how wrong he was, after the Reformation started.
1517
October 31: Luther nailed 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg. Luther intended encourage a debate on the validate (or not) of the indulgence; they were written in Latin. By the next year (January) someone or some people translated them into German, had it printed, and spread it around. In this way, many people learned of his ideas, and many agreed with him. Note: ironically, that same church in Wittenberg that Luther nailed the 95 Theses on contained enough relics (over 19,000) to reduce someone's time in Purgatory by 1.9 million years.
Replica of the church doors in Wittenberg.
The church partially burned down in 1760.
When it was rebuilt, new doors were made from bronze and engraved with the "95 Theses" in Latin.
1518
The Heidelberg Disputation was called by Luther's Order, the Augustinian Order, in order to give him a chance to elaborate on his ideas; Martin Bucer wrote in a letter concerning Luther: "What Erasmus insinuates, he speaks openly and freely."
1518 also
The Pope called Luther to Rome for examination, but Frederick the Wise (Luther's prince) had the location changed to Augsburg. The pope was not present at the Diet of Augsburg [an official meeting was called a "Diet," which is pronounced "deet"], but Cardinal Cajetan was; Luther did not change his position and flede back to Wittenberg. Frederick continued to protect Luther. [One of the great mysteries of Church History: Frederick the Wise protected Luther from the Pope a number of times, yet Frederick never left the Catholic Church.]
1518 also
The Pope wrote a new decree on indulgences in which he stated his right to issue indulgences. Now, if Luther argued against indulgences, he argued against the pope.
1518 also
Zwingli became the chief preacher in Zurich; he remained in this position until his death.
Portrait of Zwingli prior to his death.
1519
Luther and John Eck, the pope's representative, debated at the Leipzig Debate. Eck later calls him a heretic. This is important, because, if proven, Luther would probably have been killed.
1520
Luther's prince Frederick was visited by a papal ambassador, who encouraged Frederick to send Luther to Rome. This would have been a death sentence for Luther, and Frederick said, "No."
1520 also
Luther received an offer of the protection of 100 knights. This shows the extent to which people were increasingly growing passionate about him and against the Catholic Church.
1520 also
The Pope issued a bull [name given to an official papal pronouncement] that instructed Luther to recant in 60 days. He publicly burned this bull in December.
1520 also
Luther wrote 3 of his greatest books: "Address to the Christian Nobility," "On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church," and "On the Freedom of the Christian." Taken together, these three encouraged Catholics to deny many of the Catholic Church's teachings.
1521
[Meanwhile, in Latin America: Cortes conquered Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).]
1521
Henry VIII was named "Defender of the Faith" by the pope for his opposition to Luther. Henry wrote a book against Luther called The Defense of the Seven Sacraments in this year, since Luther had reduced the sacraments to two. To see an excerpt, go here. [Henry VIII later broke from the Catholic Church but retained the title. Today, it is one of the titles of the monarch of England.]
A book printed in 1687 that contained
Henry's book plus the bull that made Henry
a defender of the faith
(see inscription about 2/3 of the way down from the top)
1521 also
Luther attended the Diet of Worms. At first he believed that he was going to debate his ideas. Once there, he found out otherwise. Apr 17: He came to the Diet at 4 in the afternoon: present were Charles, the seven electors, Spanish troops, princes, bishops, etc.; in their midst was a table piled with books. He was asked if he had written these books and if he would recant. He replied that he had written those books plus more. He requested time to think about the second question. Apr 18: Luther was not called into the Diet until night. He stated that he could not recant and then added "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen." [There is some doubt as to whether or not he said these lines.] Luther was subsequently given 21 days to travel to Wittenberg and then he would be placed under the ban; any town or individual helping him after 21 days would also be under the ban. [This meant that they would be outside the protection of the law.] Luther was certain that he would soon be killed. He traveled to the region where he grew up with friends. Along the way some horsemen rode up and took him away. His friends thought he would be killed, but the horsemen were actually working for Frederick. They secretly kidnapped Luther and took him to the Wartburg, one of Frederick's nearby castles, for safekeeping. Luther wrote many works attacking the papacy and doctrines in the Catholic Church while there. He also translated the New Testament into German in less than four months; note: At that time, the Catholic Church forbid translations into any other language.
Wartburg Castle, where Luther was held captive for 9 months
See a video walking through the middle of the castle (4 1/2 minutes; shot by Dr. Nickens):
See a video walking through a hallway and ending up in the room where Luther worked (1 minute; shot by Dr. Nickens with his wife and daughter in Luther's room):
1521 also
By this time Zwingli began teaching Grebel and some of his other priests. One of his beliefs was the importance of reading the Bible for oneself. Grebel and others began to do this and, eventually, reached the conclusions which caused them to begin the Anabaptist faith.
1522
Ignatius Loyola (
the future founder of the Jesuit Order) decided to dedicate himself to prayer; he exchanged clothes with a beggar in order to practice humility.
1522 also
Luther returned to Wittenberg from the Wartburg Castle, where he lived for the rest of his life.
1522 also
Zwingli's Affair of the Sausages
1523
Two Augustinian monks who followed Luther's teachings were burned at the stake. They were the first martyrs of the Protestant Reformation.
1523 also
Zwingli wrote his own 67 Theses, which he defended in Zurich.
1523 also
John Calvin was 14 years old and most likely moved to the University of Paris.
1524
Zwingli married, even though he was a priest. Also, he wrote a letter in which he defended a symbolic view of the Lord's Supper.
1525
Luther married Katharina von Bora, a runaway nun.
1525 also
Jan 21: A number of men gather at the home of Felix Manz; Grebel baptized George Blaurock by pouring water on his head from a pitcher. This was the first Believer's Baptism of the Reformation period and began the Anabaptist movement. Grebel proceeded to preach in the area and to baptize many people.
[They practiced affusion, which is pouring water on one's head, instead of immersion.]
1525 also
The first known Anabaptist martyrdom takes place this year when Eberli Bolt is burned at the stake.
1525 also
William Tyndale published the first English-language translation of the New Testament.
- More details: To read about Tyndale's life and his other contributions (he coined the word "Passover"), go here
1526
Luther's books were burned in England.
Page from Tyndale's Bible of 1525.
This is the first printed English Bible.
I put this in a large image so you can try to read it. It is the first page from the Gospel of John.
One reading note:
In the English of that day, an "s" was sometimes given the letter "f."
That is why "first" is spelled "fyrft" and "same" is spelled "fame" on this page.
Compare to Wycliffe's handwritten copy above in the year 1382 to see the improvements.
1527
Felix Manz was drowned in Zurich for baptizing adults. Zwingli possibly coined the word "Anabaptist" because he believed they were being "re-baptized." "Anabaptist" comes from the Greek: "ana" means "again."
1527 also
Michael Sattler wrote the Schleitheim Confession. This document lists the basic beliefs of Anabaptists. [It is used by Amish today.] Later in the year he was tortured and then burned at the stake. His wife was drowned a week later.
1527 also
Henry VIII moved on his plans to annul his marriage to Catherine. He secretly gathered bishops and lawyers to sign a declaration that Henry and Catherine's marriage was invalid on the grounds that she was previously married to Henry's brother, Arthur. Note: The debate centered around whether or not the marriage between Arthur and Catherine was consummated. Henry believed that Catherine had failed to give birth to a son because of the condemnation addressed in Leviticus 20:21: "If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless." Henry understood "childless" as "sonless." Henry used the Leviticus passage as a neccesity for the divorce. Catherine stated that her marriage to Arthur was not consummated, but Henry and others did not believe her and proceeded with the annulment.
- Henry did not try to divorce Catherine because divorce was not allowed in the Catholic Church. Why? It is considered as a sacrament. A sacrament is when God gives grace to a person. If you divorce someone, that means you are returning the grace back to God as something you don't want. You can see the theological problem with that. Therefore, Catholics sought for annulments instead of divorces. An annulment is when two people state that they were not married (the marriage ceremony was false) and, instead, they had been living in adultery instead of marriage.
- Henry and Catherine were married for 24 years.
Portrait of Henry VIII
1527 also
The plague came to Wittenberg. Luther and Katie stayed and helped those who were sick and allowed them to stay in their house, which was under quarantined. He wrote "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." To learn more, go here.
1529
The term "Protestant" is first used.
1529 also
George Blaurock, the first person baptized as a adult believer in the Protestant era (Anabaptist), was burned at the stake.
1529 also
The Colloquy of Marburg. The followers of Luther and Zwingli convinced them to meet and try and find common theological ground. They agreed on all points except one: Communion. Zwingli said it was symbolic; Luther said that it was more than that. To read more, go here.
1530
Tyndale published the Pentateuch in English.
1530 also
Catherine is finally banished from Henry's presence. At this point, their marriage is officially over.
1531
Zwingli died. He was a chaplain in the Zurich army and died in battle helping defend Zurich from a Catholic army.
1532
Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in secret.
1533
Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn in public; 4 months later Anne Boleyn gave birth to Elizabeth. Elizabeth would one day become queen.
1533 also
Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry VIII.
1534
Luther finished his translation of the Old Testament into German. His German Bible is printed.
1534 also
The Act of Supremacy is passed by Parliament in England. This Act officially separated England from the Catholic Church and established Henry as the head of the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Communion): It declared that the English monarch would be "the only Supreme Head in earth of the Church of England.
Examples of changes made:
- Rejected transubstantiation.
- Allowed priests to marry.
- Rejected Purgatory.
- Continued the use of "saints," but changed the meaning to heroes of the faith.
- Rejected use of relics in connection with Purgatory, but allowed relics to be honored.
1534 also
Geneva, where Calvin lived later, became more Protestant when they abolished the Catholic Mass. [Author's note: This means that they rejected the transubstantiation view of Communion, which means that the bread and wine turned into the Body and Blood of Christ.]
1535
The First Suppression of Religious Houses, also, Dissolution of the Lesser Monasteries, was passed in England. This allowed Henry to begin gaining control of monasteries, convents, and churches previously owned by the Catholic Church.
1536
Henry VIII had Anne Boleyn beheaded and married Jane Seymour. Catherine of Aragon died of natural causes in this year.
1536 also
John Calvin completed the first copy of the Institutes. While traveling, Calvin passed through Geneva. He is persuaded to stay and help complete the Reformation movement there. The Geneva city council voted to become fully Protestant just two months before Calvin arrived (on May 21).
Portrait of Calvin
1536 also
Erasmus died a natural death. Tyndale was arrested by English soldiers in Belgium and burned at the stake there.
1537
Jane Seymour gave birth to Edward. He would one day become king. Seymour died about 2 weeks later.
1538
After a series of disagreements, Calvin left Geneva.
1539
The Second Suppression of Religious Houses, also, Dissolution of the Greater Monasteries in England. The remaining 550+ monasteries and religious houses became the property of the Church of England. Since Henry was the head of the Church of England, this meant that he gained considerable wealth and land due to taking control over Catholic property and lands in England. This also caused a huge disruption since the 1000s of monks and nuns no longer could live freely in these properties.
1539 also
The Great Bible was produced and spread to English churches. Henry authorized the Bible (on behalf of the Church of England) as the only Bible that could be read in Church of England churches. [The Church of England is also referred to as the Anglican Communion.] The Bible used much of Tyndale's translations of the Pentateuch and the New Testament, although he had been martyred by England just three years earlier.
1540
Pope Paul III approved of Ignatius Loyola's Order, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Loyola wrote a manual to help instruct his followers called "Spiritual Exercises." To read an excerpt, go here.
- Other religious orders also formed during this time; some were created partially to counter the Protestant Reformation:
- Theatines, 1524
- Capuchins, 1525
- Barnabites, 1533
- Discalced Carmelites, app. 1560
- Ursulines, 1572
- Oratorians, 1575
1540 also
Calvin married. He also received an invitation from Geneva to return.
1540 also
Henry married Anne of Cleves in January and the marriage was annulled in July.
1540 also
Henry married Catherine Howard.
1541
Calvin returned to Geneva to complete the Reformation movement there.
- More details: To read a short summary of Calvinism's 5 points (and to find out why there are 5 points), go here.
1542
Pope Paul III reinstituted the Inquisition.
1542 also
Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in India.
1542 also
Henry approves the execution of Catherine Howard.
1543
Henry married Catherine Parr. His sixth wife, she was the only one to outlive him.
She later remarried.
1543
Calvin published the Treatise on Relics. This document lists all available relics that Calvin was aware of in a effort to discount and discredit the practice of adoring relics. For a sample list, go here.
1545
The Council of Trent began. This was a series of meetings held from 1545 to 1563. The Catholic Church, realizing that they were hemorrhaging members, decided to meet and review all their doctrines. Basically the Council determined that their doctrines were correct and that Protestants were excommunicated.
1546
Luther died. In his pocket was a piece of paper which said (in part): "We are all beggers." To read about his last hours, go here. His body was buried in the main church in Wittenberg where he had preached so many times. During his life, he was so exceedingly popular that people who ate with him later wrote down what he said during the meals. Some of these were collected into a book called Table Talk. To read excerpts, go here.
1547
Henry VIII died and Edward VI became king. Edward was 9 years old when he became king and he died at age 15.
1549
Francis Xavier arrived in Japan and began missionary work.
1549 also
Under the reign of Edward in England, the Church of England produced the "Act of Uniformity" that produced the Book of Common Prayer. This book included prayers and orders of a variety of worship services. Within a year, most English churches used it. A revised "Book of Common Prayer" was produced in 1552.
1551
Robert Stephanus, a printer, divided the New Testament into verses. This was available for the first time in his newly published NT which came out in this year. His system was adopted. To see when the chapters were added, click here.
1552
Francis Xavier died. He was a Jesuit and traveled as far as Japan. He died en route to China. To read more of his missionary story, and what he accomplished in ten years, go here.
1553
Four weeks before his death, Edward approved the "Thirty-nine Articles," which declared doctrines of the Church of England. Yet, it did not make major changes to some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church that the other reform movements did make. Therefore, to this day, the Church of England is the closest to the Catholic Church in doctrines and practices than other Protestant denominations. [In fact, some scholars do not consider the Church of England to be a Protestant denomination.]
1553 also
Edward VI died. Mary (daughter of Catherine of Aragon, who never left the Catholic Church) became queen.
1553 also
Mary became Queen in July, and, since she was a Catholic like her mother, when Parliament met in October, the marriage of Mary's mother, Catherine, and Henry VIII was reinstated and all laws creating the Church of England were invalidated and rejected. The Roman Catholic Church's spiritual rule over England was reinstated.
1555
The first Protestant martyr died under Mary in England. During her reign, many English Protestants died and many left England. Some of those who left England traveled to Geneva for safety, where Calvin maintained control. While there, some of them translated the Bible into English, thereby rejecting the Great Bible of Henry VIII. This English-version Bible became known as the Geneva Bible.
1556
Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), died.
1558
The Academy began in Geneva. Many Protestants attended Calvin's school, including John Knox, who took Calvin's ideas back to Scotland and helped founded the Presbyterians.
1558 also
Mary, Queen of England, died. Elizabeth I became Queen; she was 25 years old.
1559
The last edition of Calvin's Institutes was published.
1559 also
A new Act of Supremacy (see 1534) and a new Act of Uniformity (see 1549) became law. These laws established Elizabeth as the head of the Church of England, required church attendance at Anglican churches, and enforced the use of the Book of Common Prayer.
1559 also
The creation of the Index, a listing of books that Catholics were forbidden to read. The Index was not abolished unti 1967.
1560
Jacob Arminius born. He championed ideas that opposed Calvin's ideas.
1563
The Council of Trent ended.
1563 also
John Foxe published Foxe's Book of Martyrs. This book described many Protestant martyrs by Catholics, not only under Mary's reign in England but throughout Europe.
1564
Born: William Shakespeare & Galileo
Died: Michelangelo & John Calvin
Died: Michelangelo & John Calvin
1570
Pope Pius V excommunicated Elizabeth. During her reign, Catholics were persecuted in England and some Catholic priests, who traveled under cover to England to minister to secret Catholics, were martyred.
1583
Jesuit Matteo Ricci arrived in China and began missionary work. [Francis Xavier wanted to go to China but died 10 miles from China's coastline.]
1588
Arminius became a pastor in Amsterdam.
1603
Elizabeth I died. James I (James IV of Scotland) became king of England; he was 57 years old. He was Henry VIII's sister's grandson, Elizabeth's closest male relative. James had ruled as king of Scotland since 1567. In 1572, the Catholic Church was rejected in Scotland, leaving an official Protestant faith that was strongly Calvinist in theology and Presbyerian in organization, except for one exception: James did not care for rule by presbyters and instilled bishops throughout the Scottish church. Therefore, when he became king of England, he was already a Protestant.
1603 also
On the way from Scotland to England, a group of Puritans met the new King James I. [Puritans believed that the Church of England had not distanced themselves enough from the Catholic Church. The Puritans wanted a church that was much more different than the Catholic Church.] A group of Puritans met James and gave him a petition with 1000 signatures, known as the Millenary Petition, requesting additional changes be made to the Church of England.
1604
James called a meeting early this year with the Puritans, known as the Hampton Court Conference. At the meeting, he rejected most of their demands. He also added, "I shall make them conform themselves, or I will force them out of the land, or worse." Yet, he did suggest a new version of the Bible. The Puritans were fond of the Geneva Bible, which James did not like because it alluded to democratic rule, among other things. Therefore, he announced that he would produce a new version of the Bible. See 1611.
1611
The King James Version of the Bible was produced. One note: It contained the deuterocanonicals, the "additional" books Catholics have in the Old Testament. [Go here to learn more.] They were not removed from the KJV Bible until the late 1800s.
© 2020, 2021 Mark Nickens