First European Country to Officially Adopt Protestantism: Sweden (1527)
The first European country to establish Protestantism as its **official state religion** was Sweden in 1527.
The Event
At the Riksdag of Västerås, King Gustav I Vasa** secured the assembly's approval to:
- Confiscate church property (tithes, lands, silver) for the crown.
- Place the church under royal authority.
- Adopt Lutheran theology as the sole authorized faith.
Context & Nuance
- Germany: The Reformation *began* there (Luther, 1517), but the Holy Roman Empire remained officially Catholic until the Peace of Augsburg (1555) allowed *princes* to choose (cuius regio, eius religio). No unified "Germany" existed.
- Denmark-Norway: Officially Lutheran 1536/37 (Christian III) — second.
- England: Henry VIII broke with Rome (1534) but remained theologically Catholic; full Protestant settlement came under Edward VI (1549/52) and Elizabeth I (1559).
- Switzerland: Cantons (city-states) adopted Reformation individually (Zürich 1523, Bern 1528, Geneva 1536) — not a unified country.
Thus, **Sweden (1527)** holds the distinction of the first *sovereign nation-state* to legislate Protestantism as its exclusive official religion.
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