History of Protestantism History of Protestantism Protestantism originated from work of several theologians starting in the 12th century, although there could have been earlier cases of which there is no surviving evidence. Any prominent dissent was subject to persecution by the Roman Catholic Church, and thus attempts to change anything in the Catholic Church were kept isolated or effectively eradicated up to the 16th century. One of the early Protestant Reformers was John Wycliffe, an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the 14th century. His followers, known as Lollards, spread throughout England but soon were persecuted by both the Catholic Church
14th & 15th century Africa during, and after the 14th century, the Trans-Saharan trade routes were used for trade, travel, and scholarship. Much of what scholars know of the Trans-Saharan trade routes comes from the historical writings of Muslim scholars such as Ibn Battuta and Leo Africanus who both crossed the Sahara Desert in the 14th and 15th centuries. These literary narratives combined with archaeological data provide much insight into 14th century trade. Throughout the 14th century, much of African trade revolved around the Trans-Saharan trade routes. Geographically, the Sahara Desert extends over 3.6 million square miles and is the second largest desert on the