The Reformation of the sixteenth century was a vast and complicated movement.
Roland Bainton\'s Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther remains the definitive introduction to the great Reformer and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand this towering historical figure..
Yet in spite of its diverse and complex character, to start to understand the Reformation you need know only one name: Martin Luther.
It spread from one end of Europe to the other, and manifested itself in widely differing forms.
It involved kings and peasants, cardinals and country priests, monks and merchants.
The Reformation of the sixteenth century was a vast and complicated movement