ABSTRACT
On 27 October the Spaniard Michael Servetus, lawyer, doctor and theologian, was burnt on the place of execution at the gates of Geneva. An important source of news was undoubtedly Matteo Gribaldi, an Italian lawyer who visited Basle several times in the course of his travels, most crucially in the autumn of 1553. In March 1554 a small book was published which would mark a milestone in the history of the demands for toleration and religious freedom. To this day it continues to be regarded as Sebastian Castellio's most effective work. Sebastian Franck was represented by several selections from his famous Chronica der roemischen Ketzer, which appeared in 1531 in Strasbourg as part of the larger work Chronica, Zeitbruch and Geschichtsbibel. The connection between Franck's idea of universal toleration and his understanding of history was readily apparent in the excerpts reproduced by Castellio from the writings of this highly individualistic writer.
