1. The Protestant Reformation (1450-1565)

2. Key Concepts End of Religious Unity and Universality in the West
Attack on the medieval church—its institutions, doctrine, practices and personnel
Not the first attempt at reform, but very unique
Word “Protestant” is first used for dissenting German princes who met at the Diet of Speyer in 1529

3. Causes of the Reformation
1. Crises of the 14th & 15th centuries hurt the prestige of the Church and clergy
Avignon Papacy
Great Schism
People were becoming tired of being dependent on the Church and the constraints it enforced
2. Corruption in the Catholic Church
Simony-sale of church offices
Pluralism—an official holding more than one office at a time
Absenteeism—an official not fulfilling the duties of an office, but still receiving payment and privileges

4. Causes Corruption cont’d
Nepotism—favoring family members in the appointment of church offices
Moral decline of the Papacy
Pope Alexander VI had affairs and children out of wedlock
20% of all priests in Trent kept concubines in early 16th century
Rodrigo Borgia
Clerical Ignorance—many priests were illiterate
Sale of indulgences-pay money to the Church to absolve one’s sins

5. Causes 3. Renaissance humanism
Better educated people were more critical of the church
Growing individualism meant people chafed under the power of the Church
4. Political Circumstances were favorable
New Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V was young and trying to control a vast realm. He also faced attacks from France and Ottoman Turks during the critical early years of Luther’s protest
5. Reformers emphasized piety and a personal relationship with God.
John Wyclif & the Lollards—England
Stressed Bible was sole authority and a personal communion with God

6. Causes John Hus—Czech Erasmus—In Praise of Folly 6. Printing Press
Similar ideas to Wyclif
Burned at the stake for his views
Erasmus—In Praise of Folly
criticized the corruption of the Church and hypocrisy of the clergy
6. Printing Press
Invention of movable type was invented in 1450 by Johann Gutenberg
Helped spread ideas before Catholics could squash them
Intensified intellectual criticism of the Church
Protestant ideals appealed to the urban and the literate

7. The Emergence of Protestantism in Europe

8. Germany Luther troubled by the sale of indulgences
Dominican friar Tetzel was selling indulgences in Wittenberg in 1517
Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517
What were some of Luther’s complaint?
Luther slowly but surely is drawn into a heated debate

9. Germany Pope paid little attention to Luther at first
Thought it was a disagreement between Augustinian & Dominican monks
Luther refused to stop his crusade
Was protected by Frederick III of Saxony
Wanted to reform the church, not create a new one
But in defending his views, Luther gradually came to the point that he had no other choice than to create a new church

10. Germany 1520 Luther published his theology of reform
Pope Leo X excommunicated him & Luther burned the bull that excommunicated him
1521 Diet of Worms
HRE Charles V convened this meeting of leaders of the empire and demanded that Luther recant
Luther refused: “Here I stand, I can do no other.”
Edict of Worms—Luther is outlawed as a heretic
Luther taken to Frederick’s castle where he was protected
Translated the Bible into vernacular
Married a former nun

11. 3 Key Ideas of Luther’s Theology
How is a person saved?
“Justification by faith alone”-salvation could be achieved through belief in God, rejected good works as the means to achieve salvation
Where does religious authority reside?
The Bible is the sole authority, not the Church, nor the Pope. People could read and interpret the Bible on their own
What is the Church?
Priesthood of all believers who were spiritually equal, not a hierarchical Church structure

12. Protestant Propaganda

13. The Spread of the Reformation

14. Why did the Reformation Spread?
1. The Emperor was distracted fighting the Ottoman Turks and France
2. Luther’s stand against the Church emboldened other reformers to break with the Church
3. Rulers protected reformers
4. The printing press spread ideas quickly and the Church was unable to stop them

15. Zwingli-Zurich Very urban, cosmopolitan setting
Reformer Ulrich Zwingli “Memorialist” view of the Mass
Zwingli also opposed purgatory, clerical celibacy, intercession of the saints, and salvation by works
The death of Zwingli

16. Calvin-Geneva (French-speaking)
John Calvin’s leadership in Geneva from
Geneva became the model Protestant training center
Stress on order and rigorous adherence to God’s law
A “Quasi-theocracy”
Very austere religion practiced in Geneva
Self-discipline and the “Protestant Work Ethic”

17. (1) Background More of a scholar than Luther
More of a systematic thinker than Luther
Calvin’s **Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536)**
Early legal training
Clear-cut moral directives for living
Relied on Scripture primarily for his ideas

18. (2) Teaching Predestination The right of rebellion --English Civil War
The Elect
The right of rebellion
--English Civil War
Divine calling to all sorts of vocations
The “invisibility” of the True Church
Government serves the Church

19. Henry VIII-England Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon
Henry seeks an annulment
Henry creates the Church of England and establishes his own supremacy over it
A “political reformation” only at first
The six wives of Henry VIII

20. B. England (cont) The brief reign of Edward VI
The rule of “Bloody” Mary
Return of the Marian exiles to England from Geneva
-- “Puritans”
Queen Elizabeth I-The Elizabethen Religious Settlement
The attack of the Spanish Armada in 1588
-- “The Protestant Wind”

21. Radical Reformers-the Anabaptists
Desire to return to the primitive, first-century Church
High standard of morality valued and pursued
Bitterly persecuted by both Catholics and other Protestants
Ardent missionaries who were harassed for their zeal

22. (2) Teaching Free will—all can be saved Adult, “believer” baptism
Social and economic equality
Pacifism
Separation of Church and State
Stressed role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer— “inner light” (Quakers)
Simplicity of life and millenarianism—living in the last days

23. France
King Francis I was initially sympathetic to Luther as long as his ideas stayed in Germany
Protestantism made illegal in France in 1534
Persecution of the Huguenots—French Protestants
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre-1572
King Henry and the Edict of Nantes (1598)

24. Other Parts of Western Europe
No Protestant inroads into Spain or Italy
Protestantism succeeded only where it was urban and supported initially by the nobility
After 1540, no new Protestant territories outside of the Netherlands
Most powerful European nations were Catholic
Protestants were feuding with each other

25. The Counter Reformation
Reformation shaped the form and rapidity of the Catholic response
Council of Trent ( )
The Society of Jesus (“Jesuits”)—1534
--Ignatius Loyola
The Inquisition
The Index
Renewed religious emotionalism
--Baroque Art
Religious warfare

26. Impact of the Reformation
Germany was politically weakened and fragmented
Christian Church was splintered in the West
100 Years of Religious Warfare
Right of Rebellion introduced by both Jesuits and Calvinists
Pope’s power increased
Furthered societal individualism and secularism
Growing doubt and religious skepticism

27. Impact of Reformation (cont)
Political stability valued over religious truth
Calvinism boosted the commercial revolution
Witch craze swept Europe in the 1600’s
--Between , 3000 people in Germany, 9000 people in Switzerland and 1000 people in England were executed as witches
Possible reasons for this witchcraft craze