Decline in the Medieval Church
Spiritual
Authority
Political &
Spiritual
Poverty
Temporal
Authority
 Taxing the clergy: Boniface VIII
v. Philip [clericis laicos] - 1296
 Royal courts vs. Church courts
 Papal Bull [Unam Sanctam] - 1302
 Marsilius of Padus [Defensor
Pacis] - 1324
Specific Crises
1. New Heresies.
2. Schism.
3. Lay Reform.
4. Conciliarism.
Decline in the Medieval Church
Official
Church
Beliefs
Theological
Difference
s
Heresies
Teach contrary to accepted
doctrine
 John
Wycliffe
• Lollards
• John Huss
• Hussites
Schism leads to new movements
• Schism allows people to question papal
authority
– Bible as a guide
– Wycliff- unworthy pope did not have to be
obeyed stressed faith. No Transubstantiation
• Convicted as heretic in England
– Hus agrees with Wycliff
– Also convicted as a heretic burned at the
stake
The Hussite Wars [1420-1436]
Decline in the Medieval Church
Conciliarism, or the conciliar movement, was a reform movement in the 14th
and 15th century Roman Catholic Church which held that final authority in
spiritual matters resided with the Roman Church as corporation of Christians,
embodied by a general church council, not with the pope.
Popes
 Innocent III
 Boniface VIII
 The Avignon
Papacy
[1309-1377]
Internal
Church
Power
Church
Councils
[Conciliarism]
 Pisa
 Constance
 Basel
UNAM SACTUM
• Started as a fight between King of France (Phillip
IV) and Pope (Boniface VIII) over taxes.
• Phillip arrests Boniface who dies shortly thereafter
• Phillip arranged for the election of Clement V
(French) placed in him Avignon.
– Allows for French influence over the Papacy
– Avignon papacy last from 1309-1378
The Great Schism: 1378-1417
The Great Schism
• 1378 Pope Gregory XI returns to Vatican to try to
restore peace.
• Dies later that year
• A group of Cardinals choose new Pope Urban VI
–
–
–
–
Picked for his faithfulness to Avignon Papacy
Romans invade proceedings and Cardinals flee
Urban shuns Avignon
Cardinals see him as unfit select new Pope Clement
VII, sets up shop in Avignon
– Urban still in Vatican
ONE CHURCH TWO POPES
• Divided Popes look to create alliances.
• Become political
• Avignon Pope supported by France, Castile,
Scotland
• Roman Pope supported by HRE, England,
Portugal and most of the Italian States
• RELIGION IS NOW DIVIDED
FIGHTHING FOR POWER
The Council of Pisa
•
•
•
•
Trying to clear up Papacy issue
Council picks new Pope (Alexander V)
Other Popes refuse to resign
Popes become pawns in Rulers power
struggle
• Finally ends with the election of Martin V
• By Council of Constance (1418)
The Avignon Papal Complex
The Spread of the Printing Press
Prior to the Reformation all Christians were
Roman Catholic
The [REFORM]ation was an attempt to REFORM
the Catholic Church
People like Martin Luther wanted to get rid of the
corruption and restore the people’s faith in the
church
In the end the reformers, like Luther, established
their own religions
The Reformation caused a split in Christianity
with the formation of these new Protestant
religions
Martin Luther
John Calvin
Henry VIII
The Spread of Lutheranism
Lived from 1483-1546 in
Germany
Father encouraged him to
study law
A sudden religious
experience inspired him to
become a monk
He became troubled over the
possibility of not going to
heaven
He turned to the Bible, and
confession for comfort
In the Bible he found the
answer he was looking for
“The righteous shall by his faith.”
Luther realized that only faith (in
the ultimate goodness of Jesus), not
good deeds, could save a person. No
good works, rituals, etc. would save a
person if they did not believe.
A list of things he thought
were wrong with the Catholic
Church (95 Complaints)
He criticized:
The Power of the Pope
The Extreme Wealth of
the Church
Indulgences (Catholic
concept of Salvation)
Gutenberg’s Printing Press made it
possible for Luther to spread his
beliefs
Posted his 95 Theses on Church
doors in Germany
Gained support from people and
criticism from Church
•The first thing
printed on
Gutenberg’s
press was the
Bible.
•This is a picture
of a page from
one of
Gutenberg’s
Bibles.
The Diet of Worms
1520 Pope Leo X order Luther to give
up his beliefs
Luther burned the order and was
excommunicated
Luther went into hiding where he
translated the New Testament into
German – spreading his beliefs even
further
He was the Pope during the
height of the corruption
“I am fed up with the
world, and it with me.
I am like a ripe stool,
and the world is like a
gigantic anus, and so
we’re about to let go
of each other.”
-Luther
The Peasant Revolt - 1525
Some Local German Churches
accepted Luther’s ideas
Lutheranism was formed
Supported by German Princes who
issued a formal “protest” against the
Church for suppressing the reforms
The reformers came to be known as
[PROTEST]ants - Protestants
Anti-Catholic
Influenced by Martin Luther
Disagreed with Luther’s “Salvation
through faith alone.”
Created his own Protestant religion
in Switzerland
Calvin believed in:
 Salvation through Predestination
At birth it is decided if you will go
to heaven or hell
Foreknowledge
God knows everything that will
happen in your life
Purified approach to life:
No drinking, swearing, card
playing, gambling etc..
Started in Switzerland –
Calvinists
England = Puritans
Scotland = Presbyterians
Holland = Dutch Reform
France = Huguenots
Germany = Reform Church
Calvin’s World in the 16c
Presbyterian
PuritanHugeunots
The Anabaptists
Dutch persecution of Anabaptists
(Mennonites)
Henry VIII
1491-1547
• Became king at 17
• Son of Henry VII and
Elizabeth of York.
• 14yrs- did not want to
marry Catherine of
Aragon.
• Arranged marriage to
brother’s widow.
(Arthur)
Henry VIII was the son of
Henry VII
Married Catherine of Aragon
Widow of Henry’s brother
Arthur
Catherine failed to give him a
son, Henry wanted a divorce,
pope said “no”
Starts conflict that continues
today
The Act of
Annantes
The Act of
Appeals
The Act of
Supremacy
Executions
1532
Stopped all payment
to the Catholic
Church
1533
Ended Rome’s
Religious hold on
England
1534
Made Henry VIII the
head of the Church
of England
Any subject who
wouldn’t denounce
the Catholic Church
Pope will not grant
annulment (Clement VII)
Henry’s Lord Chancellor, Sir
Thomas More sides with
Pope.
Henry VIII splits with
Church puts himself at the
head of new church
• Henry started a battle with the
church
• The Act in Restraint of Appeals
(1533)
• Passed the Acts of Supremacy
(1534)
• Said the King controlled Church
• King only supreme head on Earth
• Forced people to take Oath of
loyalty (Act of Succession 1534)
• Thomas More refused
(Beheaded)
• Thomas Cramner takes Over for
Wolsey (grants divorce)
Six Wives
•
Wife # 1 - Catherine of Aragon
– Married for 24 years
– Pregnant many times but only Mary (1516)
survived.
Died 8 Jan 1536
Wife # 2 - Anne Boleyn
– Secret affair with Henry
– Married after Catherine was banished.
– Had a female child named Elizabeth.
– May 19 1536 Beheaded.
• Wife # 3 - Jane Seymour
– October 1537 Edward was born
– 12 days after she died.
Wife # 4 - Anne of Cleves
- Married in Jan. 5 1540
- Less than 20 days marriage annulled
 Wife # 5 - Katherine Howard
- Married at 15
- “Perfect” but not really
- affair, beheaded on Feb.1542
Wife #6 - Katherine Parr
• July 12, 1543 married
• Aided Henry cause of
old age.
• No kids w/Henry
• Did not get along with
other children.
• Died from childbirth
problems.
Religious conflict continues after his
death and the death of his only son,
Edward.
Mary I (Bloody Mary) wants to
revert back to Catholic, kills
hundreds of Protestant leaders in the
process
Elizabeth (Protestant by birth) tries
to find a middle ground.
Tower of London
from the Air
Tower of London:
The Bloody Tower
Traitor’s gate
Tower green
Henry’s Deathbed
Edward VI [r. 1547-1553]
Lady Jane Grey
“Ruled” England
from
July 10–19, 1553
Catholic Reformation
• Pope John Paul III wanted to push back the Protestant
tide and restore Catholicism in Europe.
• Reformed the Church by using new punishments to
control corruption, refined the papacy.
• Built the Inquisition and strengthened education, so
that the new council could fight against Protestant
teachings.
• Re-built the Catholic Church and spread Catholic
teachings across Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
• The Catholic Church became strong once more,
pushing back the Protestant wave.