The 16th century brought the Reformation to Transylvania and especially to the Saxon church. More and more Saxons adopted the new religion, Lutheranism, spread by the humanist Johannes Honterus from Brasov. Through this movement, the majority of the fortified churches in Transylvania became Protestant churches. This brought many problems to the German population in Transylvania, as the Hungarian King severely punished those who joined the “new sect” or those who supported the heretics. Magically, salvation came from the most unexpected place, from the Turks. Winning the Battle of Mohacs in 1526, they transformed Transylvania into an autonomous province under Turkish rule. The Turks left the Saxons alone to practice their new religion.During the passing of centuries Transylvania has seen many changes and different rulers, from the Hungarian Kings to the Turks and then the Habsburgs, but remarkably, the original agreement between the Saxon and the Hungarian King survived until the middle of the 19th century. Then, a new policy from the Hungarian government of introducing the Hungarian language in schools and public offices led to the first Saxons leaving for America.
