The early 16th-century French Reformation was a religious and intellectual movement with the goal of reforming the Roman Catholic Church in France. While the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther began in Germany in 1517, the majority of the ideas that fueled reform had already been circulating in France by 1510. The French humanists and scholars like Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples and Guillaume Briçonnet played critical roles in building what would turn out to be the French Reformation.
By 1510, France was experiencing great religious, social, and intellectual change. Humanist scholars, inspired by the principles of the Renaissance, were calling for a return to the original writings of the Bible and an individual, interior experience of religion. The corruption and abuses of the Catholic Church, such as the sale of indulgences and the extravagance of the clergy, outraged people. All these ills led many French scholars to demand reform in the Church.
Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples was also one of the finest names associated with French reforming thinking in early times. A scholar and theologian, Lefèvre initially began to translate as well as interpret biblical work in the early half of the 1500s. Through his acquaintance with the Epistles of Paul, he particularly emphasized imparting the doctrine of justification by faith a doctrine very fundamental to Protestant philosophy in later centuries. While Lefèvre was faithful to the Catholic Church, his teachings provided the foundation for later French reformers.
Around 1510, Guillaume Briçonnet, Bishop of Meaux, was another leading figure of the early French Reformation. He sought to bring reforms to his diocese by encouraging biblical study, promoting clerical education, and promoting vernacular versions of the Bible. Briçonnet founded the "Meaux Circle," a group of reform-minded theologians and scholars, among whom was Lefèvre, who promoted religious reform on the basis of scripture and individual faith.
Although the French Reformation did not truly materialize until the 1520s, intellectual and theological groundwork laid by reformers like Lefèvre and Briçonnet served as the catalyst for a religious resurgence. By 1510, reforming sentiments were in motion, and France was becoming increasingly aware of the same movements occurring in Germany and Switzerland. These early reformers sought to purify the church, promote biblical literacy, and emphasize faith over ritual, laying the groundwork for the advent of Protestantism in France.
The activities of sixteenth century early French humanists and theologians were significant contributors to shaping the French Reformation. Despite initial focus on reforms from within, these early developments laid ground for the spread that followed later for Protestantism, as well as the ensuing heavy religious and political conflict in 16th century France.
