John Wycliffe: The Morning Star of the Reformation

Depending upon how you have been influenced, you may think that the English-speaking people didn't have access to the Bible in their common tongue until the translation of the King James Bible in 1611 or perhaps if you know your history a bit better you may realize that other English translations preceded the KJV -- such as the Geneva Bible of 1560.  But almost 200 years before even the Geneva translation, the first complete English translation was made by the hand of a Christian scholar named John Wycliffe along with his associates.  This translation is actually several progressive editions but has come to be known as The Wycliffe Bible.

If this contribution to the Church wasn't enough, Wycliffe also helped start an anti-clerical movement known as the Lollard Movement.  This group which actually may have been in existence even before Wycliffe, pre-dates the Reformation by almost 200 years & advocated many points that would later be re-postulated by Martin Luther in his 95 theses (see The Twelve Conclusions)