1. Before the Reformation
F R Daubney
Ulrich Zwingli, the Reformer of German-speaking Switzerland, was born in 1484 and died in battle, aged 47, in 1531. In this series I wish to give a brief biography of Zwingli, followed by a summary of his theology. But before embarking on this, I believe it is necessary to introduce readers to the conditions that prevailed in Switzerland at the time leading up to the Reformation.
1. The division of power within Switzerland. At the close of the fifteenth century, Switzerland was divided in much the same way as it is today; people of German origin occupied the areas to the north and east, while those of French origin inhabited the west and south. Politically the country was divided into small independent states, called cantons, each with its own political conditions. The cantons were joined to one another in the Swiss Confederation but each canton had independence in matters of law and government. At the time of the Reformation, the Swiss Confederation comprised 13 cantons, with power and influence lying mainly with the city states, particularly Zurich and Berne. There are 26 cantons in present-day Switzerland.
Concerted political action on matters of common interest, and international relations, were carried out by the Diet, an assembly of delegates from the various cantons which met at intervals in the large cities. The Diet, however, had limited legislative power because delegates could not vote finally without the consent of their home government, and no act could be passed without the unanimous consent of all the cantons. Even when a law was enacted, there was no central government to enforce it. Consequently, in general, laws were obeyed only in those states which saw fit to enforce them. The progress of the Reformation in Switzerland was determined by the fact that each state decided the form of worship in its own territory.
2. Zurich. The city canton of Zurich was particularly influential in the Swiss Confederation, and meetings of the Federal Diet were often held there. Zurich itself was governed by the Great Council, or Council of Two Hundred, which was made up of guild members and the aristocracy, and was empowered to make laws, or even change the constitution, without consulting the people. However, with the majority of men in Zurich belonging to one of the craft guilds, this was more democratic than it sounds. The Council was involved in secular administration, but also in restricting the jurisdiction of the clergy, and it did not hesitate to challenge the so-called immunities of the Church. In 1523 it was the Great Council who put Zwingli’s new ideas into effect. In Zurich, unlike Germany, where Luther appealed to the princes for support, it was the people, or their representatives in the Council, who authorised the Reformation.
3. Switzerland and the Papacy. The relationship of the Church in Switzerland to the Papacy was very different from the situation in Germany. The popes held the Swiss in high esteem for their doctrinal faithfulness and their political and military support. When Pope Julius II took part in a struggle for possession of Northern Italy in 1510 and 1512 he applied to the Swiss for mercenary troops. The Confederation was under the impression that this was a holy war for the preservation of the Church and came to his aid with a contingent of men. The Pope paid for their services and granted the Confederation the title of “Protectors of the Freedom of the Church”.
However, the Swiss came out of these wars with their eyes opened to the worldly ambitions of the Papacy, and in 1518, when Leo X asked for 12 000 men for a crusade against the Turks, they sent him 10 000 but said that if he needed more they would send him 2000 priests!
The Swiss enjoyed an unusual measure of freedom in ecclesiastical government, and the clergy were usually subject to the secular courts. This freedom was not achieved without a struggle, and disputes with church authorities occurred from time to time, particularly in the city cantons of Zurich and Berne. Throughout the Confederation there were also complaints about the loose moral conduct of the clergy. Despite this, there was strong respect for the doctrinal authority of the Church and much religious fervour, including numerous pilgrimages and endowments for new foundations in honour of the saints. Because the Swiss were valuable political and military allies, they were never subjected to the Inquisition and the popes dealt relatively gently with the country at the beginning of the reform movement.
4. Mercenary Service. The final piece of background relates to the fact that, at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Swiss were greatly in demand by foreign governments seeking mercenary soldiers. The soldiers of Switzerland fought in the armies of all the surrounding countries, sometimes on one side and sometimes on another, and sometimes even on opposing sides. Cantons eagerly ventured into war in order to receive the pensions and bribes offered by foreign monarchs. Money flowed into the country: as a bounty to the state, retainers to the statesmen, and payment to the soldiers, with as much plunder as could be captured.
As a result, the country descended into serious moral decline and corruption. The situation became so bad that in 1503 the Diet endeavoured to control the indiscriminate recruitment of mercenaries and the consequent extravagance and immorality. The resolution was accepted by all the cantons but it was not an easy matter to enforce.
To summarise, by the early sixteenth century, the Swiss had become preoccupied with the financial gain brought by its military prowess. The resulting corruption was difficult to contain or reverse, and the rulings of the feeble Federal Diet had little or no effect. And in the Church, priestly corruption was rife. Politically and ecclesiastically the situation could not continue. Change, when it came, was led by Ulrich Zwingli and the city of Zurich. The result, in God’s providence, was the Swiss Reformation.1
1The first section of a paper delivered at the 2017 Theological Conference.