Keith Randell

The author takes three lines of inquiry to discuss the life of John Calvin. His life and work are discussed, comparisons are made with the teachings of Martin Luther and the Catholic Church, and the spread and influence of his ideas is examined.

As well as discussing the traditionally popular topics of the Council of Trent, the impact of the Jesuits and of international politics, this book considers the mystics and their movements, and throughout explores the assumptions made by historians in order to encourage the reader to question some of the accepted ways of viewing these events. The author also wrote "Calvin and the Later Reformation" and "Luther and the German Reformation".

Planned with the A-level student specifically in mind, the "Access to History" series is designed to be expansive enough so that re-reading of condensed narrative is not required. This book looks at the background to the Reformation, Luther's teachings, Zwingli and the Anabaptists.