Switzerland Church Records: Difference between revisions

Line 18: Line 18:
The area now known as Switzerland was introduced to Christianity in the 300s. The Catholic Bishopric of Basel was established in 346. The area fully converted to Christianity by the 600s. The Old Swiss Confederacy was Catholic until the Reformation of the 1520s, which split the confederation into Protestant and Catholic cantons. <br>
The area now known as Switzerland was introduced to Christianity in the 300s. The Catholic Bishopric of Basel was established in 346. The area fully converted to Christianity by the 600s. The Old Swiss Confederacy was Catholic until the Reformation of the 1520s, which split the confederation into Protestant and Catholic cantons. <br>
The Protestant Reformation led to the need for recording who was baptized in a particular religion. In Switzerland, the Reformation was begun in Zürich in the 1520s by Huldrych Zwingli, and quickly spread throughout the confederacy. The Counter-Reformation began in the 1540s and led to forcible conversion of some areas back to Catholicism. Eventually, each Canton was allowed to establish which religion it would follow, and all residents were required to belong to the established religion.
The Protestant Reformation led to the need for recording who was baptized in a particular religion. In Switzerland, the Reformation was begun in Zürich in the 1520s by Huldrych Zwingli, and quickly spread throughout the confederacy. The Counter-Reformation began in the 1540s and led to forcible conversion of some areas back to Catholicism. Eventually, each Canton was allowed to establish which religion it would follow, and all residents were required to belong to the established religion.
*The earliest Reformed churches began recording baptisms around 1520. Because it took decades for the Reformation spread across Switzerland in the 1500s, commencement dates may vary. By 1650 most Reformed parishes began keeping records.
*Catholic parish records were mandated by the Council of Trent in 1563, though commencement dates may vary.


==Coverage==
==Coverage==
Reviewer, editor, pagecreator
22,351

edits