A leading statesman in Strasburg during the first half of the sixteenth century, Jacob Sturm joined the Reformation, considering it to be better suited than the traditional faith to rouse the conscience for the common good. In his political activity Sturm worked to defend the city’s interests, while seeking at the same time to promote also the expansion of Protestantism within the German Holy Roman Empire. The concessions he made to Charles V may have earned him opposition from Bucer, but saved Strasburg for the Protestant cause.