1. AP World History Chapter 16 Notes Religion & Science (1450-1750)
Belief Systems COT
AP World History
Chapter 16 Notes
Religion & Science ( )

3. Forces of Change Continuities Columbian exchange Reconquista
Guttenberg’s printing press
Corruption of religious hierarchy
More literate societies
Scientific revolution
Absolutism
Empire’s Divine Right/Mandate of Heaven
European Conquest
Islamic Turkic conquest
Consolidation of Empires
Missions(prostyltyzation)
Divisions between secular and religious leaders
Blending : syncretism
Toleration policy of rulers
Most society still traditional (illiterate)
Absolute rulers need to maintain state-sponsored belief system
Theocracies
Pilgrimages
Holy Books
Religious prophets/leaders
Houses of worship
Daily guideline ( morals/ethics/dietary restrictions)
Basic creed ( universalizing beliefs amongst all sects)
Dhimmi status

6. Region Changes Continuities East Asia( role of Jesuits)
Influence of Jesuit missionaries in Japan and China, minimal conversion by leaders like Matteo Ricci ( reaction of expulsion by Tokugawa and Qing Empire) attempt to blend Confucian and Christian values. Chinese Catholics under authority of the Pope. Export of Confucian ideas to “West”.Kaozheng movement –research based on evidence influential of scientific revolution
Traditional belief systems (NeoConfiacian, Shinto and Zen Buddhism for Japan) still predominated government, worldview and daily life because it provided spiritual fulfillment. Deeply suspicious of new beliefs “all or nothing faith”, Cannibalism of Christianity.
South Asia ( role of Mughal)
Attempt at divine faith consolidating all faiths under Akbar (Din Ali Din) religious toleration policy, syncretic belief system Sikhism, attempt to abolish Hindu policies like Sati and Child brides, Jesuit missionaries enter and gain adherents in Akbar’s court
Reversal of Akbar’s policies of tolerance, Hinduism provides glue which holds geographically fragmented India together, clashes between Hinduism and Islam ( continues to spread under Sufi movement) Bhakti movement in Hinduism continues to dominate patterns of Hindu beliefs
Africa (role of Trans-Atlantic and Saharan trade)
Conversion of Catholicism by leaders of Kongo (Antonianism), many African religions would be blended with Christianity in the New World (Vodun and Santeria). Christianity popularized in coastal enclaves in East and West Africa ( not interior why?)
Islam and animism still provide spiritual guidance and Islam still part of the regulation of governments, trade, etc. Dar Al Islam still part of the vital African network and plays arose in the East African slave trade throughout the 10th century. Catholic church does nothing to stop the enslavement of Africa's (they do Native Americans)
Americas (North and Latin) think Columbian Exchange and Mercantilism amongst F.E.S.P.N
God in three G’s mass conversion of native inhabitants, Jesuits successful in blending beliefs( cult of Saints), Protestants no wish to blend but convert. Puritans in North America (flogging, morality, building churches) North America little toleration of other faiths(trials, urination on idols, etc.)
Native traditions remain like keeping local Gods, blood letting and use of Hallucinogenic drugs, shrines, etc. as well as local languages (Nahuatl, Quechua)
East Europe
Mass conversion of Native Siberians to East Orthodox Christianity by Russian Missionaries, Orthodox church under the consolidation of the Tsar like Caesaropapism of the Byzantine empire, beard tax on old Orthodox superstitions,
Since the Byzantine Empire, Eastern Orthodox Christianity has maintained its spiritual guidance on the Russians (i.e.. Priests marrying, architecture like the onion dome, use of Cyrillic alphabet ( brought by St. Cyril of Byzantine fame)
West Europe- Protestant Reformation, Columbian Exchange, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution)
Division of Christianity over corruption of Catholic Church and desire for aristocrats to gain church lands, Calvinism, Anglican, Lutheran churches, Jesuits formed as counter to reformations, Wars of religion (30 yrs. war), increase of secularism inspires Science and enlightened ideals deism- God is a watchmaker who creates natural laws and provides natural rights. Conflict with Ottomans (kind of a cont. too)
Religion and politics still under conflict (see 30 years war) still deep anti-Semitism, Catholicism deeply entrenched in France, Spain, Portugal and Italian City- States and some of the Holy Roman Empire(not Holy, Roman or much of an empire after 30ys war). Women still declared witches, deep suspicion of 7 deadly sins, Gothic architecture influential in Cathedrals (role of religion in Absolutism)
Middle East ( Islamic Gunpowder Empires)
Millett system of Ottoman. Janissaries and Devvshirme, fall of Byzantine, growth of Fundamental Islam (Wahhabism), reversal of some tolerant policies after Suleiman( see Coffee trial)
Sharia, Holy pilgrimage sites, Sunni/Shiite division, Mosque building, 5 Pillars, conflicts between Islam and Christianity (Neo-Crusades?), Jizya, Dhimmi

7. The Protestant Reformation
Started in 1517 by a German priest named Martin Luther
Issued a document called the 95 Theses
Nailed it to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany
Outlined his issues with the Catholic Church

8. The Protestant Reformation
Martin Luther was critical of the following abuses conducted by the Catholic Church:
Selling church positions
Selling indulgences = certificates issued by the church that reduced or canceled punishment for a person’s sins  people would buy them to ensure going to Heaven
Luxurious life of the popes
Corruption and immorality of some clergy
The selling of indulgences
Pope Leo X (above) sold church positions and indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome

9. Martin Luther’s Beliefs
Salvation = came through faith alone; God’s grace is freely and directly granted to believers
Source of religious authority = the Bible (as interpreted by the individual), not the Pope or church leaders
These ideas = created a massive rift between Catholic and Protestant Christianity

10. Spread of Protestantism
Reformation thinking spread quickly within and beyond Germany thanks to the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg
Luther’s 95 Theses, many pamphlets, and his German translation of the New Testament were soon widely available
As the movement spread to the rest of Europe, it splintered, creating a variety of different Protestant churches
Ex: Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, Quaker, Anabaptist, Puritan, etc.

11. Spread of Protestantism

12. Calvinism Established by John Calvin in Switzerland
Preached predestination = God determines the fate of every person

13. An Anabaptist Immersion
The Anabaptists
Denied the authority of local governments
Refused to hold office, bear arms, or swear oaths
Many lived separate from society  viewed it as sinful
Baptized adult members only
An Anabaptist Immersion

14. The Church of England
King Henry VIII (ruled from ) wanted a divorce from his first wife (Catherine of Aragon)
She had 6 children -- only 1 survived (a girl named Mary)
King wanted a male heir to the throne
King thought Catherine of Aragon was too old and he wanted to marry the young, beautiful Anne Boleyn instead
Problem = the Pope refused to grant the King a divorce

15. The Church of England
Result = Henry VIII separated England from the Pope and the Catholic Church
Made himself head of the new “Church of England”
Kept Catholic practices & traditions, but denied authority of the Pope
Had supporters of the old religion killed

16. The Church of England
King Henry VIII had the Church of England end his marriage with Catherine & he married Anne Boleyn
Anne bore him a daughter = Elizabeth I
Henry VIII married 4 more times after this & only got 1 son = Edward VI (got the throne, but died in his teens)

17. The Church of England
Henry’s daughter Mary tried to restore Catholicism when she became Queen
Burned hundreds of Protestants at the stake
Nicknamed “Bloody Mary”

18. Anglicanism
Mary’s sister Elizabeth I became Queen when Mary died  blended features of the Church of England and Catholicism
Religion called Anglicanism
Pleased most people
Radical Protestants called “Puritans” wanted to purify the English Church of all its Catholic elements  ended up leaving for North America where they could have more religious freedom

19. Massacre of the Huguenots, 1572
Religious Conflicts
1562 – 1598 = violent conflict between Catholics and Protestants in France
French Protestants = called Huguenots = the minority
In one day (in 1572) = about 3,000 Huguenots were massacred by Catholic mobs
1598 = King Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes
Granted religious toleration to French Protestants
Idea = soon they’d return to the Catholic Church
Massacre of the Huguenots, 1572

20. Painting of the Beginning of the 30 Years’ War
Religious Conflicts
Thirty Years’ War ( ) = war between Catholics and Protestants
Started in Holy Roman Empire; soon took over most of Europe
Destructive war
15-30% of German population died from violence, famine, or disease
1648 = Peace of Westphalia signed
Redrew some European political boundaries
Said each state was independent and could control its own religious affairs
Painting of the Beginning of the 30 Years’ War

21. Catholic Counter-Reformation
Pope Paul III wanted to reform the Catholic Church to win back followers and stop the growth of Protestant faiths
Council of Trent ( )
Reaffirmed Catholic teachings and practices
Put an end to Church abuses, such as the selling of indulgences and church positions
Put emphasis on creating a better-educated clergy

22. Christianity Outward Bound
European explorers, traders, and colonial settlers brought their faith with them and wanted to replicate it in their new homelands
Ex: New England Puritans brought Protestant version of Christianity with them to North America
Emphasis on: education, moral purity, personal conversion, civic responsibility, and little tolerance for other faiths
Puritans arriving in the “New World”

23. Christianity Outward Bound
Most successful group at spreading Christianity = missionaries (mostly Catholic)
Organized in missionary orders, such as the Dominicans, Franciscans, and Jesuits
Portuguese missionaries = spread Christianity to Africa and Asia
Spanish and French missionaries = spread Christianity to the Americas
Russian missionaries = spread Eastern Orthodox Christianity throughout Russian Empire

24. Christianity Outward Bound
Catholic missionaries = most successful in Spanish America and the Philippines
Why?  Both of these areas were:
Fully colonized by Spain
Taken over by an overwhelming European presence  through military conquest, colonial settlement, missionary activity, forced labor, social disruption, and disease
Lacking a literate world religion (like Islam or Buddhism)
Roman Catholic Missionary Priest

25. Conversion and Adaptation in Spanish America
Europeans saw their political and military success in Spanish America as proof of the power of their Christian God
Many Native Americans agreed and accepted baptism and other Christian practices
But Native Americans wanted to keep their traditional local gods as well
European Preacher Speaking to Native Americans

26. Conversion and Adaptation in Spanish America
European frustration with the persistence of old, local traditions sometimes led to violence:
Destruction of pagan shrines and idols
Destruction of religious images and ritual objects
Public urination on native idols
Desecrating the remains of ancestors
Flogging those that worshipped idols
Religious trials and processions of shame to humiliate offenders
Compulsory Conversion of Native Americans to Christianity

27. Conversion and Adaptation in Spanish America
Result = Native Americans attempted to create an “Andean” or “Mexican” Christianity
Not just a copy of the Spanish version of Christianity
Blended Christian elements with traditional religious elements
Example: Catholic saints became important in Mexican Christianity  paralleled the functions of pre-colonial gods
Many Mexican Christians also continued to take part in rituals from the past
Didn’t think they contradicted Christianity
Examples: use of hallucinogenic drugs; blood-letting; etc.
The Virgin of Guadalupe

28. An Asian Comparison: China and the Jesuits
Missionary efforts to spread Christianity in China = less successful than in Spanish America because:
China was never conquered by the Spanish
China was a strong, powerful, independent nation
China was never threatened by Spain militarily
In fact  Europeans needed the permission of Chinese authorities to operate in the country
Most famous missionary to China

29. An Asian Comparison: China and the Jesuits
Missionary strategy by the Jesuits in China:
Targets = official Chinese elites
Downplayed their mission to convert  emphasized their interest in exchanging ideas and learning
Took an interest in Chinese culture  became familiar with Confucian texts, learned Chinese, dressed like Chinese scholars, etc.
Defined Chinese rituals (like honoring ancestors) as non-religious
Pointed out parallels between Confucianism and Christianity
Jesuit astronomers working
with the Chinese

30. An Asian Comparison: China and the Jesuits
Outcome = minimal conversion in China
Confucianism, Buddhism, and/or Daoism = already gave the Chinese spiritual fulfillment
Many Chinese = didn’t like that Christianity was an “all-or-nothing” faith
Two Jesuit missionaries holding a map of China

31. An Asian Comparison: China and the Jesuits
Early 18th century = Pope and other Catholic officials = came to oppose the Jesuit policy of accommodation
Pope claimed authority over all Chinese Christians
Declared sacrifices to Confucius and worship of ancestors to be idol worship = forbidden to Christians
Emperor Kangxi forbade Europeans to spread Christianity in China in 1715
Many missionaries were
subsequently expelled

32. An Asian Comparison: China and the Jesuits
Other issues the Chinese had with Christian missionaries:
They worked under the Manchu dynasty = worked with “uncivilized foreigners”
Holy Communion seen as a form of cannibalism
Claims of miracles damaged their image as men of science
Didn’t like the fact that Christian groups met in secret
Concerned with the fact that Europeans had just conquered the nearby Philippines

33. Africanized Christianity
African ideas and practices accompanied slaves to the Americas
African forms of revelation became a part of Africanized versions of Christianity
Dream interpretation, visions, spirit possession, etc.
Examples of syncretic (blended) religions = Vodou in Haiti and Santeria in Cuba

34. Expansion and Renewal in the Islamic World
Islam continued to spread during this time period
Spread by: wandering Muslim holy men, Islamic scholars, and Muslim traders
Not spread by conquering armies or expanding empires
As Islam spread, it often blended with local religious traditions
Strict Muslims did not like this blend  believed that it strayed too far from Muhammad’s original beliefs and the authority of the Quran
Caused movements of religious renewal and reform in Islam
Guru Nanak
Founder of Sikhism, which blended Islam and Hinduism

35. Wahhabi Islam Most well-known Islam renewal movement
Took place in the mid-18th century in Arabia
Started with teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab = an Islamic scholar
Argued that the difficulties of the Islamic world (like the weakening of the Ottoman Empire) = due to deviations from the pure faith of early Islam

36. China: New Directions in an Old Tradition
During the Ming and Qing dynasties = China operated within a Confucian framework, enriched now by the insights of Buddhism and Daoism
Called Neo-Confucianism
However, some new thinking emerged during this era as well
Bureaucratic Examinations
of Neo-Confucianism

37. China: New Directions in an Old Tradition
Wang Yangming = scholar who argued that truth and moral knowledge are innate in humans
Said that a virtuous life could by achieved by introspection and contemplation
Did not need: extended education, study of the classical texts, and constant striving for improvement
Challenged traditional Confucianism
Critics said these ideas promoted excessive individualism

38. China: New Directions in an Old Tradition
Some Buddhist monks = wanted to make their religion more accessible to regular people
Said withdrawal from society = not necessary for enlightenment
Said people could do same practices at home that monks performed in monasteries
More moral and religious individualism

39. Chinese scientist and encyclopedist
Kaozheng Movement
Kaozheng = “research based on evidence”
Critical of the unfounded speculation of traditional Confucianism
Intended to seek truth from facts
Emphasized importance of verification, precision, accuracy, and analysis
Genuinely scientific approach to knowledge
Song Yingxing ( )
Chinese scientist and encyclopedist

40. India: Bridging the Hindu/Muslim Divide
When Hindu India was ruled by the Muslim Mughal Empire, there were several cultural departures that brought Hindus and Muslims together

41. Bhakti Movement Devotional form of Hinduism
Goal = to achieve union with one of the Hindu deities through songs, prayers, dances, poetry, and rituals
Practitioners = often set aside caste distinctions and disregarded rituals of the Brahmin priests
Wanted direct contact with the divine
Had much in common with the mystical Sufi form of Islam

42. Sikhism Founded by Guru Nanak Blended Hindu and Muslim elements
Ignored caste distinctions
Ended seclusion of women  promoted equality of men and women

43. Comparative role of Religion 1450-1750
From both Western Europe and Eastern Asia were impacted by the reform movements of the Jesuits, both actively promoted the conversion of other belief systems, however, deep suspicions in Eastern Asia led to the limitation of Jesuits along coastal borders while the tradition of Catholicism allowed it to permeate through state-sponsorship in Spain, Portugal and France ( although divided throughout much of Europe)
In both the Middle East and Africa from saw the continuation of Islam’s domination through trade and laws, both would have to contend with a new Christian influence through coastal enclaves and conversions, however, the conservatives of Islam would see Orthodox branches of Wahhabis while Islam’s influence in Africa would continue throughout this periodization.
South Asia and East Asia would see religious movements change in response to Western intervention The Khaozeng movement and Bhakti movements would deal with religious pluralism, both would be deeply suspicious of foreign Jesuit missionaries but long standing religious traditions would persist of Hinduism and Buddhism.
In Africa and Latin America the role of the Roman Catholic Church and Europe’s mercantilism promoted the conversion of native inhabitants changing the traditional religions and even creating syncretic religions ( Santeria, Voodoon, Antonianism), Africa, however would retain its dominant religions of Islam and animism while the great dying would see he demographic rise of Christianity. Trade, also, would lead to conversion of Empires due to favorable European relations.
In North America and Western Europe the Protestant Reformation would lead to furthered religious intolerance and an emigration of pilgrims, both would see an increase in protestant religions ( Anglicanism, Lutheranism, Puritanism) but Western Europe it would be done through voluntary conversion while North America it would be done by waves of emigration from the shores of Western Europe.