Introduction
The Reformation in Europe
Until about 1500, Christians in Western Europe all belonged to one
church, which was led by the Pope. Over the years, the Church had
become very wealthy, which made it a target for some people who were
more interested in the Church’s money than in religion. Complaints about
the corruption of the church led to protests (by Protestants) across Europe
and an attempt to reform it.
Protestants and the Reformation
In 1517, a German priest called Martin Luther protested about some of
the practices of the Church that he wanted to be reformed. The
supporters of his protest became known as ‘Protestants’ and the religious
movement they started became known as the ‘Reformation’. The religious
argument spread from Germany and across much of Europe, as people
from every class became interested in it. Some of these people were
genuinely interested in religion. Others just saw it as a way of getting their
hands on the wealth of the church.
The Catholic Church tried to reform itself but at the same time Protestants
were condemned to death and executed in many countries. Protestant
ideas continued to spread across Europe and they reached Scotland,
where they increased criticism of the Catholic Church.
As a result of the Reformation, Christians in Europe were either Catholics
or Protestants. Some countries remained Catholic and others became
Protestant. Most Catholic countries were in the south, and Protestant
countries tended to be in the north. Scotland was one of the last countries
in Europe to ‘reform’ its Church and become a Protestant country.
The Church in Scotland
The Catholic Church aimed to help the sick and the poor, to educate
people and to encourage them to live good lives, so they would go to
Heaven when they died. Over the years, people had given land and money
to the Church. It had become very wealthy. In addition to rents from its
land, the church collected a special tax. As a result of this, the Church in
Scotland was far wealthier than the king. It had an income of £300,000 a
year, while the monarch had only £17,500 to pay for governing the
country.
Scottish monarchs looked for ways of getting money out of the Church, as
did other Scots. They did this by:
Promoting the Royal Family
Monarchs gave top jobs to relatives and other nobles who wanted the
income but not the religious duties. These duties were often neglected or
somebody was paid a small salary to do the work.
Plurality
Some clergy were given several jobs. These ‘pluralists’ collected several
salaries but could not do all the work properly.
Taxing the Church
The Church was forced to pay taxes. To raise the money, the Church had to
rent out its land to local nobles. They were often descendants of the
people who had originally given the land to the Church.
Results
As a result of these developments, the Church began to face serious
problems. Senior positions in the Church, which commanded huge
incomes, were being taken by nobles whose main interest was not
religion. Some clever clergymen were reluctant to become parish priests
because the work was so poorly paid. The quality of parish priests
therefore declined. Some were accused of not knowing enough to take the
religious services. While some parish priests worked hard for the people in
their parish, others earned a bad reputation for their attitude to their
congregation. Increasingly Scots began to criticise the Church in Scotland
because of the behaviour of some of the clergy.