Switzerland was the home of two of Europe's leading Protestant reformers, one in the German speaking area, and one in the French.

Ulrich (or Huldrych) Zwingli (1484-1531)

Zwingli was born into a free peasant family in Toggenburg in eastern Switzerland, but came to prominence after moving to Zurich. He was an exceptional scholar and linguist, who read the Bible in the original Greek and Hebrew. The key point of his teaching was that the Bible was the only guide to belief and conduct, and that any rules or interpretations added later by the church had no foundation.

He believed that the church should be completely independent of the state; at the same time he called on the state authorities to model their laws on the laws of God.

He worked to spread the ideas of the Reformation on Swiss soil, and to reorganise the Confederation in a more coherent way under the aegis of Protestantism. He was killed in battle against Catholic troops from central Switzerland in 1531.

Jean Calvin (1509-1564)

Calvin, whose name is associated with the city of Geneva, which he transformed into a "Protestant Rome" was in fact a Frenchman, who sought asylum first in Basel and then in Geneva after he broke away from the Roman Catholic church in 1532.

At that time Geneva was not a member of the Swiss Confederation, but had an alliance - combourgeoisie - with Bern and Zürich.

Calvin first went to Geneva in 1536 but left after two years when the citizens revolted against his moral austerity. However, his followers invited him to return in 1541. His rule was no less austere the second time, but considerably more effective. The church took precedence over any secular power, and provided spiritual guidance to the government.

Calvin's doctrine of hard work and the idea that wealth was a reward from God was hugely influential in the development of modern capitalism. He encouraged learning, in both the arts and sciences, and also promoted manufacturing and commerce which helped make Geneva prosper.