AP European History
CHAPTER 3 – THE AGE OF REFORMATION
CHAPTER SUMMARY
This chapter discusses the political, social, and particularly religious developments of the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. The chapter focuses primarily on the independent lay and clerical efforts to reform religious
practice. It also delves into the various ideas of Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Henry VIII, and other
religious and political reformers. The Catholic Reformation is discussed as well. Finally, the chapter assesses the
effect of the Reformation on society, religion, and education.
The late medieval church was a failing institution that was beset with political troubles (“Babylonian
Captivity,” Great Schism, conciliar movement and Renaissance papacy), and had ceased to provide an example of
religious piety. Lay criticism of the church increased and became more organized. One constructive lay movement
was the Modern Devotion, or the Brothers of the Common Life, which stressed individual piety and an active common
life.
Unlike France and England, late medieval Germany lacked the political unity to enforce national religious
reforms. An unorganized opposition to Rome had formed, however, and by 1517 it was strong enough to provide a
solid foundation for Martin Luther’s reforms. The chapter continues with Luther’s dramatic career and emphasizes
his opposition to indulgences (95 Theses), his doctrine of “justification by faith alone,” and his challenge to papal
infallibility. In its first decade, however, the Protestant movement suffered more from internal division than from
imperial interference.
Ulrich Zwingli led the Swiss Reformation on the simple guideline that whatever lacked literal support in
Scripture was to be neither believed nor practiced. The unity of the Protestant movement suffered because of the
theological disagreements between Zwingli and Luther and the threat of more radical groups such as the Anabaptists
(who insisted upon adult baptism), Spiritualists, and Anti-Trinitarians.
After discussing the efforts of Charles V to unify the church by formal decree (Diet of Augsburg) and the
Protestant reaction and consolidation, the chapter relates the spread of Calvinism. John Calvin went to Geneva in
1536 after a political revolution against a local prince-bishop had paved the way for political reform. Calvin proposed
strict measures to govern Geneva’s moral life, which created opposition. After a short exile, he returned to enforce
the strictest moral discipline. After 1555, Geneva became a refuge for thousands of Protestants who had been driven
out of France, England, and Scotland.
The key precondition of the English Reformation was the “king’s affair.” Henry VIII wanted a papal
annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. When this was refused by the pope, the “Reformation Parliament”
(1529–1536) passed legislation that made the king supreme in English spiritual affairs. But despite his political break
with Rome, Henry remained decidedly conservative in his religious beliefs, and Catholic teaching remained
prominent. During the reign of his son Edward, England fully enacted the Protestant Reformation—only to have
Catholicism restored by his successor, Mary. Not until the reign of Elizabeth (1558–1603) was there a lasting religious
settlement achieved in England.
The Protestant Reformation did not take the medieval church completely by surprise. There were many
efforts at internal reform before there was a Counter-Reformation. But these reform initiatives did not come from the
papal court, but from religious orders, especially the Jesuits. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Society of
Jesus, preached self-discipline and submission to authority. The success of the Protestant Reformation led to the
Council of Trent (1545–1563) which was strictly under papal control and made important reforms concerning internal
church discipline; but not a single doctrinal concession was made to the Protestants.
The Protestant reformers perhaps never contemplated a reform outside or against their societies.
Nevertheless, the Reformation brought about lasting changes in religious life, education, and the image and role of
women.
The next section of the chapter focuses on family life in Early Modern Europe (1500–1800). It is noted that
late marriages became more frequent and were arranged, but not forced on children by parents. On the average, the
family consisted of a husband, wife, and two to four children who survived into adulthood. Birth control was practiced
but was not acceptable to the church and rather ineffective in any event. Wet-nursing was also condemned by the
church and aristocracy. Indeed, to some it was evidence of an unloving family relationship; but love and affection are
relative to time and culture.
Finally, the chapter surveys the literary careers of two of the Renaissance’s greatest literary figures: Cervantes
and Shakespeare.
AP European History
OUTLINE
I. Society and Religion
A. Social and Political Conflict
B. Popular Religious Movements and Criticism of the Church
View the Map “Map Discovery: The Spread of Printing” on MyHistoryLab.com
II. Martin Luther and German Reformation to 1525
A. The Attack on Indulgences
Read the Document “Martin Luther, ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ (Holy Roman Empire), 1517” on
MyHistoryLab.com
View the Image “Johann Tetzel Selling Indulgences” on MyHistoryLab.com
B. Election of Charles V
C. Luther’s Excommunication and the Diet of Worms
D. Imperial Distractions: War with France and the Turks
View the Map “The Hapsburgs in Europe After the Peace of Augsburg, 1555” on MyHistoryLab.com
E. How the Reformation Spread
F. The Peasant’s Revolt
Read the Document “Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants” on MyHistoryLab.com
III. The Reformation Elsewhere
A. Zwingli and the Swiss Reformation
B. Anabaptists and Radical Protestants
C. John Calvin and the Genevan Reformation
Read the Document “John Calvin, ‘Ecclesiastical Ordinances’ (Geneva, Switzerland), 1533” on
MyHistoryLab.com
IV. Political Consolidation of the Lutheran Reformation
A. The Diet of Augsburg
B. The Expansion of the Reformation
C. Reaction Against Protestants
D. The Peace of Augsburg
V. The English Reformation to 1553
A. The Preconditions of Reform
B. The King’s Affair
C. The “Reformation Parliament”
Read the Document “The Act of Supremacy (England), 1534” on MyHistoryLab.com
D. Wives of Henry VIII
E. The King’s Religious Conservatism
F. The Protestant Reformation under Edward VI
VI. Catholic Reform and Counter-Reformation
View the Closer Look “Martin Luther as Satan Tempting Jesus” on MyHistoryLab.com
AP European History
A. Sources of Catholic Reform
Watch the Video “The Global Mission of the Jesuits (Thomas Taylor)” on MyHistoryLab.com
Read the Document “Ignatius Loyola, Rules for Thinking with the Church (1535)” on MyHistoryLab.com
B. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits
C. The Council of Trent (1545–1563)
Read the Document “The Council of Trent (Italian states), 1545–1563” on MyHistoryLab.com
VII. The Social Significance of the Reformation in Western Europe
A. The Revolution in Religious Practices and Institutions
B. The Reformation and Education
C. The Reformation and the Changing Role of Women
Read the Document “Catherine Zell, ‘Letter to Ludwig Rabus,’ 1556–1558” on MyHistoryLab.com
VIII. Family Life in Early Modern Europe
A. Later Marriages
B. Arranged Marriages
C. Family Size
D. Birth Control
E. Wet Nursing
F. Loving Families?
IX. Literary Imagination in Transition
A. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra: Rejection of Idealism
Read the Document “Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote” on MyHistoryLab.com
B. William Shakespeare: Dramatist of the Age