1517-1650
What is the Protestant Reformation?

 Protestant Reformation - a religious movement in the
1500s that split the Christian church (in western
Europe) and led to the establishment of a number of
new churches
 People grew displeased with the churches…
 Financial Corruption
 Abuse of Power
 Immorality
Breakdown of
Denominations

Factors Before the Reformation

The Western Schism (1378-1418)
 Two Catholic popes  questioning the Papal
Authority
Renaissance scholar Erasmus  The Praise of
Folly
 Criticism of the Catholic Church
Factors Before the Reformation
 The Printing Press!!!!
 Books are now available
to the masses not just the
rich! (Faster
production=cheaper
books)
 People have access to books
whenever they want them
 How does this relate to the
Reformation? Explain your
answer?
Printing Press = 3,600 pages per
workday
Hand Printing = 40 pages per workday
Factors Before the Reformation
 Church is selling
indulgences!
 Indulgences - pardons
issued by the pope that
people could buy to
reduce a soul’s time in
purgatory = (People could
buy forgiveness)
Fun Fact
The last words of John Hus (early reformer)
were:
“In 100 years, God will raise up a man
whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed”
Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin
Luther nailed up his famous 95 Theses
Martin Luther
 Luther was a German
monk and professor of
theology (religion) at
the University of
Wittenberg
 One of the many
leaders of the
Protestant Reformation
Luther’s 95 Theses

 In 1517, the 95 Theses were nailed to a church door they were written in Latin
 Luther’s intention: NOT TO BREAK WITH
CHURCH, BUT REFORM IT!
 Criticized:
1. Indulgences
2. Power of Pope
3. Wealth of Church
 God’s Grace won by FAITH ALONE!
 Catholic View: Good Works
Excommunication

 In 1520 Pope Leo X
excommunicated Luther
 Excommunication- expelled
him from the church
 Luther went on to form the
Lutheran Church (branch of
Protestant Church)
Reformation Inquiry
Questions

 Do belief systems divide or unite people?
 How did religious reform lead to conflict? To what
extent were these conflicts resolved?
 How were reformers a reflection of Renaissance
ideals?
Today’s Focus:
Why did Martin Luther challenge the Catholic Church?
Why did Luther challenge the
Catholic Church?

 Historians often find two opposing accounts of the same
event and sometimes, they are even written by the same
person.
 To figure out what happened, they use the skill of
SOURCING to determine when, where, and why a
document was written.
 They also use CORROBORATION to compare accounts
and look for similarities and differences
Your Task

 Through reading the two documents, you will try to
explain the differences between the documents and
decide which one is a more reliable answer to our
question:
Why did Martin Luther challenge the Catholic
Church?
Other Reformers:
Calvinism

John Calvin in Switzerland
 Believed in Predestination
 God knows who will be saved, even before people are
born, and therefore guides the lives of those destined for
salvation
 Purified approach to life:
 No drinking, swearing, gambling etc..
 Wanted a simpler church
Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland

 Believed in the union of church and state (a
theocracy)
 Wanted a system that required all citizens to attend church
and regulated aspects of personal life
 This model would influence John Calvin
 Wanted a simpler church  stripped churches of
decoration and scorned ritual
 Switzerland was divided in to cantons  split on
religion
 Each canton were either Protestant or Catholic
English Reformation

 King Henry VIII of England
 Originally supported the Pope (Fidei Defensor) and
criticized Luther
 Later, Henry VIII wanted a divorce and split from
the Catholic Church when the Pope refused
 Declared himself the head of the Church of England
(Anglican Church)

Reformation Parliament

 Was a gathering that led to the decision that England
was no longer under the authority of the pope
 Act of Supremacy
 Subjects were required to take an oath declaring
Henry VIII to be “Supreme Head of the Church of
England”
 Not the Pope!
Effects of Henry VIII

 His legitimate children: Mary, Elizabeth, and
Edward
 Edward VI  becomes king at nine
 England was ruled by the Regency Council
 The English Church adopted Calvinism
 Died at age 15
Effects of Henry VIII

 Queen Mary I or “Bloody Mary”
 Raised Catholic like her mother Catherine of Aragon
(Henry’s 1st wife)
 She reestablished the Catholic Church in England
 She killed many Protestants and had approximately
300 heretics burned at the stake
 She died after ruling for five years
Effects of Henry VIII

 Queen Elizabeth I the “Virgin Queen”
 Raised Protestant and ruled England for 44 years,
never married
 Required outward conformity to the Protestant
Church  rarely inquired about inward beliefs
 Some church practices resembled the Catholic Church
 Led to the rise of “Puritans” who wanted to rid the
church of all Catholic aspects  resulting church was
Anglican
Breakdown of
Denominations

Counter-Reformation

 A Historical Debate: An internal Catholic reform or a
result of Protestant criticism?
 Catholic Church met many times from 1545-1648
 Discussed the abuses of the Catholic Church
 Other debates:




Structure
Religious Orders
Spiritual Movements
Politics
