II. The Radical Reformer Michael Servetus
"Oh Jesus, Son of the Eternal God have pity on me!" - Michael Servetus
Born in Spain
Michael Servetus was born in Spain in 1511.1 This much we know about his birthplace. He gave it as either Villeneuve, Spain or Tudela, Spain. Wherever he was born, he was a Spaniard who lived during a significant period in Spainish history. The Moors had been recently driven out of Spain, the Spanish Jews had experienced sufferings at the hands of the Inquisition and Spanish ships had recently returned from discovering a New World under the Genoese Captain Christopher Columbus.
Spain, already the home territory of the Holy Roman Empire, had become the world’s first Superpower and was giddy over its riches and power. Michael Servetus was born during the height of Spanish power and influence. For Servetus, his experience of Spainish power was as a Renaissance man through his eclectic interests and his knowledge of the classical languages’ Latin, Hebrew and Greek.
