CHAPTER 13
Reformation & Religious Warfare in 16th Century
What were the chief ideas of the Christian humanists,
and how did they differ from Protestant reformers?

In the second half of the fifteenth century,
the new classical learning from the Italian
Renaissance spread to northern Europe and
started the movement :
goal to reform Christianity
 Christian humanists focused on Holy Scriptures
 Felt a simple religion had been complicated
during the Middle Ages
 Through education people could find true inner
piety and reform – supported schools

Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1535)
 Formed
reform program of Christian humanism
(1503)
 “philosophy
of Christ” – inner piety – not external
religion like sacraments, pilgrimages, fasts, saints,
relics
 Called for re-translation in Greek (said the
, Latin version, had errors)
(1511)
 Criticism
of most corrupt practices of society,
especially abuses of clergy
 Work
paved the way for the Reformation
Thomas More

Thomas More (1478-1535)
 Trained
in law, proficient in Latin and Greek
 Learning
should be put into the service of state
 Became lord chancellor of England
 Friend
 Wrote
of Erasmus
Thomas More
(1516)
Account of the idealistic life and
institution of community “Utopia” (Greek
for nowhere) in the New World
 Shows concerns for economic, social,
political problems
 New social system where cooperation
and reason replaced power and fame as
motivating agents in society
 Communal ownership rather than private
property
 Opposed Henry VIII’s divorce from
Katherine & Pope

The Church and Religion

Corruption in the Catholic Church
was another factor inspiring
reform
 Highest
positions in Church were
held by nobles or the wealthy
bourgeoisie
: church officials took
more than one position to make
more money
: relics or payments
to reduce time in purgatory
What were Martin Luther’s main disagreements with
the RCC and why did the movement spread so quickly

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
 Born
in Germany, started as a lawyer,
became a monk
 Focused on assurance of Salvation
 Became a professor of theology at the
University of Wittenberg
 Came to believe that no human could
ever DO enough to be saved
from grace through faith
 (not works, sacraments, penance, etc)
Indulgence Controversy

Pope Leo X started an Indulgence
Jubilee in 1517 to pay for the building
of St. Peter’s Basilica
“as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the
soul from purgatory springs”
 Luther was distressed

Indictment of the abuses in the sale of
indulgences
 Thousands of copies were made and
spread all Germany
 Luther was compared to John Hus and in
1520 Luther realized he needed to leave
the RCC

Luther’s Writings and Consequences
– Luther calls
for German princes to overthrow papacy
– attacked the
sacramental system as a way for the papacy to maintain
control

Reform of monasticism where clergy can marry
treatise proclaiming faith


alone ensures salvation
1521 – RCC excommunicates Luther
Charles V called for Luther to appear before the Reichstag

Luther refused
– made Luther an outlaw within the empire
Spread & Conflict

Luther translated the Bible into German and his New
Testament sold 200,000 copies in twelve years



Adreas Carlstadt wanted to initiate a more radical reform


Preaching spread Luther’s ideas
Mostly to the upper classes (the literate)
Abolish all relics, images, and the Mass
Erasmus and other Christian Humanists left the movement
because it was breaking up Christendom
(1524-1525)


Peasants were unhappy with position and revolted
Luther issued pamphlet

“smite, slay and stab” the peasantry
Organizing the Church

Luther got rid of all sacraments but
 Baptism-
rebirth through grace
 Communion- forgiveness of sin
Luther denied
 Believed spirit of god was present, but the
bread and wine wasn’t Christ's corporal flesh



Got rid of the Clergy
Married a nun, Katherine von Bora as
an example
Political turmoil allows Lutheranism to
spread

1519, Charles I of Spain (grandson of Maximilian)
elected Holy Roman Emperor  Charles V
 Spain
& its overseas possessions
 Austrian lands
 Bohemia
 Hungary
 Low Countries
 Naples
Charles V’s Problems distract from Lutherans

Rivalry with Francis I, king of France
 Disputed
territories in France, Netherlands, Rhineland,
Northern Spain, Italy
(1521-1547)

Papacy sided with France
 1527:
Charles V’s army sacked Rome
 By 1530 Charles V controlled much of Italy

Turks overran most of Hungary, moved into Austria
Charles V’s Problems distract from Lutherans

Charles wanted the hundreds of German states to stay
united under Catholicism
made up of German Princes and
German states promised to defend each other from Charles V
 Schmalkaldic Wars (1546-1547)
Initially Charles V won
 The League allied with new French king, Henry II
 Charles had to call a truce


, 1555, division of Christianity
acknowledged, right of each German ruler to choose the
religion of his subjects
Charles abdicated the throne in 1556 to live in a monastery
Swiss Protestantism

Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
 Strongly
influenced by Christian Humanism
 Became a priest in Zürich, Switzerland
 Reformed the church in Zürich
 Relics
and images abolished
 Paintings and decorations removed
 Music eliminated from services
 Believed communion was strictly symbolic – NO physical presence
of Christ
 Battled
 Killed,
with rural Swiss
cut up, burned, ashes scattered
Anabaptists
– more radical reform movement
 Advocated
adult baptism
 Strict democracy- all believers equal
 Complete separation of church and state
 Refused
to hold political office
 Would not bear arms
 Nearly
wiped out in the Peasants’ War
Anabaptists

Settled in Münster – turned to
belief the end of the world is at hand
,
 Took
over town, burned all books but bible
 Kicked out and returned to pacifist ways

Menno Simmons (1496-1561)
 Peaceful
evangelist
 Separation from the world to emulate Jesus
 Strict discipline, banned those who didn’t conform
 “Mennonites”

Mennonites and Amish (Anabaptists) still exist today
John Calvin

John Calvin (1509-1564)
 French
scholar, not safe in France, moved to Basel
– synthesis of Protestant
thought
 Justification through faith alone
– God elects those who will be saved or
damned before they are born
 In Geneva, created
document that made a church government overseeing moral
life
 Colors
of clothing, music, church attendance, behavior
Create a Thesis and Outline



What were the main tenets of Lutheranism,
Zwinglianism, Calvinism, and Anabaptism
Create a unifying thesis – one sentence
Outline three supporting paragraphs
 Terms,
names, facts
Next Time: Seminar
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

Prepare for a seminar on the Counter Reformation
Re-read section in book
Look over outline
You may bring note cards
You will be asked specific and opinion questions
Points rewarded for participation
English Reformation

Henry VIII (1509-1547)
wanted to divorce his wife
Catherine of Aragon
 Spanish
princess to Ferdinand
and Isabella
 Only delivered on living heir,
daughter Mary
 Henry in love with lady-inwaiting, Anne Boleyn
English Reformation

Henry relied on Cardinal
Wolsey, the highest ranking
church official in England to
obtain an annulment from
Pope Clement VII
 sack
of Rome in 1527 made
pope rely on Charles V
 (nephew of Catherine)
English Reformation
Anne Boleyn became pregnant, Henry
secretly married her in 1533
 Thomas Cranmer (archbishop of
Canterbury) declared Henry’s marriage
to Catherine null because Catherine had
been married to Henry’s brother, Arthur,
first
 Anne gave birth to a girl, Elizabeth
: Henry is the head
of the Church of England
: punishable by death to
deny the king had supreme head of the
church


Thomas More beheaded under Treason Act
English Reformation

Under the new centralized power monasteries were
closed, land and possessions were confiscated by the
King
 Sold

to nobles, gentry, merchants
Henry kept looking for the perfect wife
 Catherine
of Aragon – Mary (Catholic)
 Anne Boleyn – Elizabeth (Protestant)
 Jane Seymour – Edward (Protestant)
 Anne of Cleves
 Catherine Howard
 Catherine Parr
After Henry’s death

Edward VI became king at 9
 Cranmer
and others pushed through more Protestant reforms
 Created unrest
 Edward died in 1553

Mary I becomes queen
 Restores
Catholicism
 Married Phillip II of Spain (son of Charles V)
 “Bloody Mary”
 Died in 1558
Counter Reformation Seminar
You may use note cards, no notes
Points for meaningful participation
What is the Catholic Reformation?





“Counter Reformation”
Mid-16th century
Revival of Roman Catholicism
Aimed at fixing the problems pointed out
Aimed at stopping spread of Protestantism
Was it a Catholic or Counter Reformation?
i.e. was it primarily a reformation of the church
THANKS to the protestant reformation or was it
an attempt to push back Protestantism?
What orders were created/revived during the counterreformation, which were the most important? Why?





Carmelites- created by Spanish mystic Saint Teresa of
Avila
Benedictines & Dominicans- renewed
Capuchins- preaching directly to the people
Theatines – founded orphanages and hospitals
Ursulines – schools for girls
– founded by Ignatius of Loyola





Most important to counter-reformation
Absolute obedience to the papacy
Education to achieve goals – took over universities
Military like
Missionaries reached Japan & China
What effect will the Jesuits have on
the world?
How did Pope Paul III reform the papacy?
 Appointed
a reform commission to study condition of
the church
 Commission blamed policies on popes and cardinals
 Summoned Council of Trent
 Established the Roman Inquisition

Pope Paul IV
 Created
 Books
the Index of Forbidden Books
Catholics weren’t allowed to read
 All Protestant works
 Erasmus
Which reform most shows the
Catholic Church’s refusal to reform?
•Reform commission,
•Council of Trent,
•Roman Inquisition & Index of
Forbidden Books
What did the Council of Trent do?





Three sessions between 1545-1563
Reaffirmed traditional Catholic teachings in opposition
to Protestant beliefs
Only the church could interpret scripture
Both faith and good works needed for salvation
Upheld:
Seven sacraments
 Transubstantiation
 Clerical celibacy
 Belief in purgatory
 Efficacy of indulgences (prohibited sale)

Why did clarity from the Council of
Trent help the Catholic Church?
Questions/Comments?
Write your name at the top of a paper
Title page Counter Reformation Seminar
1-10 points – how do you think you did?
French Wars of Religion
French protestants
 10%
of French population
 40-50% of French nobility
 House of Bourbon
 next
to the Valois in the line of succession
 Ruled Navarre

Catherine de’ Medici (1547-1559)
 Henry
II – killed in tournament, Catherine regent for sons
 Francis
 Tried
II, Charles IX, Henry III
to find compromise between powerful Guise family &
protestants
French Wars of Religion

Groups willing to fight monarchy
 Towns
and provinces were willing to revolt against
monarchy because of centralized power
 Nobility willing to revolt in opposition to the crown
– placed politics before religion and
believed that no religious truth was worth the
ravages of civil war
French Wars of Religion


1562: Duke of Guise massacred a peaceful
group of Huguenots in Vassy
1572: Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
Henry of Navarre (house Bourbon) came to Paris
to marry king’s sister
 Henry’s mother brought Protestantism to France
 Henry leader of Huguenots, many came for
wedding
 Three days of killing in the bloodiest manner
 3000 Huguenots dead
 Henry escaped by promising to become Catholic

French Wars of Religion

1594: Henry of Navarre made king of
France (Henry IV)
 “Paris
is worth a mass”
 Converted to Catholicism

Edict of Nantes (1598)
 Acknowledged
Catholicism as official
religion in France
 Guaranteed the Huguenots the right to
worship
 Allowed to hold public offices
Philip II of Spain

Son of Charles V
 Inherited
Spain, Netherlands, possessions in
Italy & New World

Strict adherence to Catholicism in Philip’s
holdings
 Aggressive
use of Spanish Inquisition
 Strong monarchial authority
 Tried
to be center of whole government and
supervised all departments
 Unwilling to delegate authority
 Fell behind on work and focused on trivial matters
Philip II of Spain


Wanted to make Spain a dominant power
in Europe
Economy
 Prosperous
economy fueled by gold in New
World
 Gold and Silver also created inflation that
hurt economy and production
 Expenses of war devastating to economy

“Most Catholic King”
 Defeated
Muslims in Cyprus
 Tried to crush the Netherlands
Revolt in Netherlands

One of the richest parts of Philip’s empire
 Netherlands,
Belgium, Luxembourg
 Dutch, French, Flemish
 Commercial crossroads (remember Hanseatic League?)
 Lutheranism, Anabaptism, Calvinism taking over

Philip’s rule was strongly opposed
 1566
Calvinists and Nobles destroyed stained glass
 Philip sent Duke of Alba with 10,000 soldiers
Court of Blood

Duke of Alba crushed rebellion
 Repressive
policies led merchants to join Calvinists
“
” or “Council of Blood”
created a reign of terror

William of Orange wished to unite all provinces
– uniting under religious
tolerance
 Didn’t last long – Duke of Parma came and played on
religious differences
 South:
Catholic
 North: Protestant under William of Orange
Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I became queen in 1558
 Daughter
of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn
 Protestant – moderate, between Luther &
Calvin
 Brilliant, cautious, confident

Imprisoned cousin, Mary Queen of
Scots
 Fled
Scotland from Calvinists
 Tried to overthrow Elizabeth many times
 Finally beheaded in 1587

Fought the
who wanted to
reform the church further
Foreign Policy




Avoided war
Encouraged piracy
Supported protestants in France
and Spain to weaken other
monarchies
Philip enraged over support to the
Netherlands
 Believed
the English would
overthrow Elizabeth if he gave them
a reason
 Sent an Armada to invade England
 Beaten by storms and fire ships!