Europe Before Printing Press  During the Middle Ages books were rare, had to be copied by hand, often by monks  Most people were illiterate (unable to read), and most books were written in Latin, the language used by scholars and the Church, which most common people did not know

Early Printing  In the 13 th Century, woodblock printing came to Europe from China, but it was expensive and time consuming since every page had to be carved into a block of wood like a big stamp  Paper became more available in Europe during the Renaissance, and people became more educated and more literate, so there was a higher demand for books

Gutenberg’s Printing Press  In the 15 th Century in Germany, Johannes Gutenberg developed the Printing Press  It used movable metal type, individual letters that were placed in order on a grid to form sentences and paragraphs, which was then inked and pressed on paper

Printing Fast and Cheap  The first book printed was the Gutenberg Bible  Gutenberg’s Press made printing books quick and inexpensive, which led to a dramatic increase in literacy (ability to read) and allowed people to spread information and knowledge quickly.  The technology spread to Italy and helped spread the ideas of the Renaissance throughout Europe!

The Printing Press DBQ  As a group, analyze the five documents and answer the questions below after discussing them together. For each answer, you must: explain your answer clearly in your own words, and identify specifically how the information in the documents led you to that answer.  When finished, each group with share their answers with the class

The Printing Press DBQ  When sharing your answers with the class Be clear in your explanation Listen actively to others Feel free to add on to what your classmates said Write down anything important you may have missed  After discussing the DBQ, use what you have learned to answer the two summary questions at the bottom.

Causes: The Bible & Printing  In the Middle Ages, people relied on the Church to learn the teachings of the Bible  The invention and spread of printing increased literacy and lay people’s access to Bible  Some felt that the Church had strayed from Biblical teachings, especially in the case of indulgences

Causes: Indulgences  Indulgences = letters from the Church pardoning sins  less time in purgatory (place between heaven and hell where believers were temporarily punished until cleansed of sins)  Originally only for great deeds like pilgrimages or crusading  By 1400s, indulgences commonly sold for money to fund church projects  German Priest Johann Tetzel aggressively marketed indulgences in Wittenberg, even for dead relatives!

Martin Luther & the 95 Theses  Martin Luther was a German Catholic Monk from Wittenberg who believed that selling indulgences was wrong  Luther wrote the 95 Theses, arguments against indulgences and corruption in the Church, and nailed them to the door of the Wittenberg Church  95 Theses and his other writings spread all throughout Europe due to the printing press and became very popular

The Protestant Reformation  Luther taught that salvation was not based on good works, sacraments, or indulgences, but that FAITH ALONE could get you into Heaven  The Pope excommunicated him, condemned his writings, but Luther rejected the Pope’s authority and split from the Church, and his movement continued to grow  What started as a movement to reform the Catholic Church became a new Christian religious movement called Protestantism, which came to dominate much of Northern Europe