Abstract

The article reveals the peculiarities of spreading Reformation ideas in Slovakia during the first half of the sixteenth century. It is emphasized that Reformation ideas were being distributed on the territory of Slovakia in three ways; the Quirinal, in particular, Queen Mary played a significant role in these processes. Leonard Stöckel, a distinguished teacher, theologian, humanist, nevertheless, contributed greatly to the development of these processes. He is the author of «Confessio Pentapolitana», which is one of the oldest documents on the history of Hungarian Protestantism serving as the basis for accepting the forthcoming Symbols of Faith. Stöckel’s outlook was formed under the influence of the European Enlightenment. He established new contacts: Stöckel made friends with an eminent European humanist – Philipp Melanchthon, who was his teacher. The proof of it is a joint edition of Melanchthon’s «Loci communes» and Comments on «Loci communes», which was published posthumously in Basel in 1561. Consequently, at the request of residents of Bardejov L. Stöckel became the headmaster of the town school. In the summer of 1539 he left Wittenberg. L. Stöckel’s return to his hometown Bardejov marked the beginning of a new period in his life. He deceased in 1560