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Huldrych Zwingli

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Religious Figure

The Resume

    (January 1, 1484-October 11, 1531)
    Born in Wildhaus, Switzerland
    Protestant Reformation leader in Switzerland
    Died in a battle between Catholic and Protestant cantons in Switzerland

Why he might be annoying:

    While a priest, he had numerous affairs.
    He tried to limit himself by vowing to not get involved with virgins, married women or nuns.
    Not too surprisingly, one of his first proposed church reforms was abolishing clerical celibacy.
    He clashed not just with the Catholic Church, but with his fellow Protestants, including Martin Luther and the Anabaptists.
    He was an advocate of Swiss unity, but his ideas helped keep the Swiss city states divided along religious lines for centuries.

Why he might not be annoying:

    During an outbreak of plague in Zurich that killed a quarter of the population and prompted anyone who could afford it to flee the city, he stayed behind to continue his pastoral duties, caught the disease and nearly died (1519).
    He had a good sense of humor and used satiric fables in his writings.
    He enjoyed music and played the violin, harp, flute, lute and dulcimer.
    His early unorthodox beliefs -- including rejecting the veneration of saints, questioning the power of excommunication, and doubting in literal hellfire -- were largely ignored, but when he suggested that tithing was not Biblically mandated, he attracted notice from Church authorities.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 13 Votes: 53.85% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 87.50% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 15 Votes: 46.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 20 Votes: 55.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 51 Votes: 50.98% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 62 Votes: 67.74% Annoying