Guido De Bres

c.1522-1567. Protestant martyr. Little is known about his early life except that he was born in Mons, Hainaut, and fled to England about 1548, where he joined a refugee congregation in London. Returning home to Belgium in 1552, he played a leading part in establishment and nurture of congregations until once again forced to flee in 1561 from the Spanish authorities who were increasingly concerned about the inroads of Protestantism and the growing Huguenot* influence. Deeply disturbed at the anarchic tendencies of many of his co- religionists, de Bres emphasized the importance of obedience to the magistrate and worked closely with William of Orange. When Valenciennes was besieged by the Spaniards, de Bres failed to persuade the radicals to surrender and was himself executed for rebellion when the city fell. His concern for unity, pastoral zeal, and theological leadership (he helped to draft the Belgic Confession*) made him a notable Reformer.