ABSTRACT
I would not be surprised if people wonder at this title. Is it possible to regard the sixteenth century Reformation as a failure? Is this not, from a historical point of view, a nonsensical supposition, which is refuted merely by my being a Reformed theologian? This conclusion should not be drawn too quickly. The thesis becomes more accessible when a geographical designation is added to the title of this essay. In some areas of Europe Protestantism was indeed able to gain the upper hand, in others it was not. The north of the Netherlands, Scandinavia, England and certain parts of Germany could be Protestantized to some degree, but in Spain and Italy a Protestant Reformation had failed. What were the decisive factors, why did the Reformation fail in some places?
