Reformed Founders is a free guide to the people who shaped the Reformed tradition, told as much as possible in their own words.
Who writes it
I’m Casey, and I care about faith and making good information easy to find and digest. My hope is this site allows you to read the founders of the Reformed tradition in their own words, and to share them with sources you can check.
Reformed Founders is an independent site. It isn’t connected to Founders Ministries (founders.org) or to any church, school, or publisher.
Where the material comes from
Most of what’s here comes from the founders’ own writings, usually in old translations that are now free to read, and from standard reference works like Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz. The footnotes show where each piece came from, so you can follow it back yourself.
I’ve tried to keep the quotes true to the editions they come from, and to include the hard parts of the story too, like the execution of Michael Servetus and Knox’s pamphlet against women rulers. I’ve probably gotten some things wrong. If you find one, I’d like to know.
A note on AI
I used AI tools to help research, draft, and build the site. I read each page and decided what went on it.
The portraits
The portraits of Zwingli, Bucer, Bullinger, Calvin, and Knox are woodcuts from Theodore Beza’s Icones (1580), reproduced from a 1906 facsimile. Beza’s own portrait is a 1599 engraving by Hendrick Hondius. All are in the public domain, and the originals are listed on Read the sources.
Corrections
Found a mistake? Email info@reformedfounders.org and tell me which page. A source helps if you have one.