1517-1648
 Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a
simple reply, I will answer without horns and without
teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain
reason– I do not accept the authority of popes and
councils, for they have contradicted each other– my
conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and
I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience
is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do
otherwise. God help me. Amen.
 April 18, 1521 Martin Luther before the emperor and
princess of Germany in the city of Worms.
 The Protestant Reformation is the name given to the
religious reform movement that divided the western
Church into Catholic and Protestant groups.
 Martin Luther began the Reformation in the early 16th
century.
 Although there were several earlier developments that
had set the stage for religious change.
 One of the reasons for religious change was
intellectual thought that was caused by the Italian
Renaissance.
 Christian Humanism- The major goal of Christian
Humanism is to reform the Catholic Church.
 Humanists believed in the ability of human beings to
reason and improve themselves.
 The best know of all the Christian humanists.
 A major belief of Erasmus was that Christianity should
show people how to live good lives on a daily basis
rather than provide a system of beliefs that people
have to practice to be saved. This is called “the
philosophy of Christ.”
 Erasmus wanted to reform the Church in several
different ways: spread the philosophy of Christ,
provide education in the works of Christianity, and
criticize the abuses in the Church.
 Corruption in the Catholic Church.
 Between 1450 and 1520, a series of popes failed to meet
the Church’s spiritual needs.
 These popes where supposed to be the spiritual
leaders of the church but instead they were all too
often concerned with Italian politics and worldly
interests than with spiritual matters.
 Many of the church leaders were also concerned with
money and used their church offices to advance their
careers and their wealth.
 Many ordinary people desired meaningful religious
expression and assurance of their salvation, or
acceptance into Heaven.
 For most salvation became a more worldly or material
event.
 People began to buy religious relics that would gain a
person an indulgence.
 Indulgence- release from all or part of the punishment
for sin.
 Professor and Monk at the University of Wittenberg in
Germany.
 Through his study Luther had found the answer to the
problem of one’s certainty of salvation.
 In Luther’s eyes, human beings were powerless in the
sight of an almighty God and could never do enough
good works to earn salvation.
 This teaching was called Justification, the chief
teaching of the Protestant Reformation.
 Luther did not see himself as a rebel, but was very
upset with the idea of indulgences because it went
against everything that the Bible said about salvation.
 “As soon as the coin in the coffer [money box] rings,
the soul from purgatory springs.”
 October 31, 1517, Martin Luther sent a list of Ninetyfive Theses to his church superiors, especially the local
bishop.
 By 1520 Martin Luther had encouraged the German
princes to overthrow the papacy in Germany and
establish a reformed German church.
 Luther also attacked the Catholic Church’s sacraments
which Luther believed had destroyed the true
meaning of the Gospel.
 Luther wanted to keep two sacraments- baptism and
Communion.
 By 1521 Luther had been excommunicated from the
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Catholic Church.
Luther was also summoned to appear in front of the
legislative assemble of the Holy Roman Empire by the
emperor Charles V who believed he could convince Luther
to change his ideas.
The Edict of Worms , made Luther an outlaw within the
Empire.
Charles V ordered all of Luther’s works to be burned and he
himself to be arrested.
In 1522, Luther’s ruler Frederick of Saxony sent Luther into
hiding and protected him in Wittenberg.
 German leaders began to take over Catholic churches
and began to established churches that were
monitored by the government.
 Luther designed a new service that would replace the
Catholic Mass that consisted of: Bible readings,
preaching of the word of God, and song.
 This doctrine developed by Luther became known as
Lutheranism. Lutheranism was the first Protestant
faith.
 Political strife throughout the Holy Roman Empire,
opposition from the pope, and the approaching
Ottoman Empire greatly helped the German
Reformation.
 By the time Charles V could get military forces to
enforce his views, the Lutheran princes were well
organized. Unable to defeat them Charles V was forced
to seek peace.
 An end to religious warfare in Germany came in 1555
with the Peace of Augsburg.
 This agreement formally accepted the division of
Christianity in Germany.
 The German states were now free to choose between
Catholicism and Lutheranism.
 The idea of Christian unity had fallen apart within
Europe with the beginning of the Protestant
Reformation.
 Protestantism also saw some division within its own
movement.
 Ulrich Zwingli was a
priest in Zurich. The city
council of Zurich,
strongly influenced by
Zwingli, began to
introduce religious
reforms.
 Removed Relics and images
 Removed paintings and decorations
 New Church Service would replace Catholic Mass
 Scripture reading
 Prayer
 Sermons
 In 1529 Luther and Zwingli debated over the Lord’s
Supper.
 Read the debate on page 774.
 War broke out in Switzerland between the Catholics
and Protestants.
 The Protestant army was soundly defeated with
Zwingli being killed.
 The Protestant leadership was now passed to John
Calvin.
 John Calvin was educated in
his native country of France,
however, once he converted to
Protestantism he was forced
to leave France.
 In 1536, Calvin wrote
Institutes of Christian
Religion.
 His writings were a summary
of Protestant beliefs.
 This work immediately gave
Calvin a reputation as one of
the new leaders of
Protestantism.
 Calvin and Luther’s ideas about religion were very
close, however, Calvin also placed a lot of emphasis on
the all-powerful nature of God.
 Calvin’s belief of the all-powerful nature of God lead
him to the idea of predestination.
 Predestination- God has determined in advance who
would be saved (the elect) and who would be damned
(the reprobate).
 Calvin created a church government that used both
clergy and laity in the service of the church.
 The Consistory was a special body for enforcing moral
discipline.
 They punished crimes such as: dancing, singing
obscene songs, drunkenness, swearing, and playing
cards.
 In England Reformation of the church began in
politics unlike in Germany were reformation began
with theology.
 King Henry VII wanted to divorce his first wife.
 Catherine of Aragon
 In order to remarry Henry needed the Pope to declare
his marriage to Catherine invalid, but the Pope did not
agree with divorce.
 Henry therefore turned to the English church courts.
 In 1534, at Henry’s request, Parliament moved to
finalize the break of the Catholic Church in England
with the pope in Rome.
 The Act of Supremacy of 1534- the king was the only
supreme leader on Earth of the Church of England.
 This gave Henry control over religious doctrine,
clerical appointments, and discipline.
 Thomas Moore, a devout Catholic and Humanist,
disagreed with Henry’s actions and was beheaded.
 Henry VIII’s daughter would
eventually be crowned queen.
 Mary, a devout Catholic, set
out to restore the Catholic
Church in England.
 The Church of England had
become more protestant than
Catholic since the death of
Henry.
 Mary went about the
restoration the wrong way
burning protestants, earning
her the name of “Bloody
Mary.”
 Wanted separation of church and state.
 They believed the church was a voluntary community
of adult believers who had undergone spiritual rebirth
and had then been baptized.
 The Anabaptist allowed common ground for
Protestants and Catholics. Both felt the Anabaptist
should be persecuted.
 The Protestants were important in developing a new
view of the family.
 In Protestantism, the role of the woman was to obey
her husband and to bear children.
 For women, family life was the only reality for
protestant women.
 The society of Jesus was
founded by a Spanish
Nobleman, Ignatius of
Loyola.
 Ignatius’ followers
formed a small group
called the Jesuits.
 There duty was absolute
obedience to the pope.
 In your notes describe the impact of the Jesuits and the
Council of Trent on the Catholic Church throughout
the world.
 Make sure to start with why the Catholic Church needed
reform.
 Paul III began the
Council of Trent to help
reform the Catholic
Church.
 Catholic Clergy met in
the City of Trent off and
on for 18 years.
 The Council confirmed the Catholic teachings that
opposed Protestant teachings.
 With a clear direction in their beliefs, the Catholic
Church was unified as a strong religious group behind
the Pope.