Reformation

The Protestant Reformation_ Crash Course European History #6.mp4

Reformation and Consequences_ Crash Course European History #7.mp4

Catholic Counter-Reformation_ Crash Course European History #9.mp4

Luther and the Protestant Reformation_ Crash Course World History #218.mp4

The Protestant Reformation, often called the Reformation, was an important period in European history. Read the following description of the Reformation.

Before the 1500s, most people in northern and western Europe followed a Christian religion called Roman Catholicism. The leader of the Roman Catholic Church was called the pope. Many people criticized the pope and the Catholic Church during the Reformation. Catholic leaders were asked to reform, or change, what they were teaching and how they led the Catholic community. Some of the people calling for reform decided to separate from the Catholic Church and became known as Protestants.

Who was pope when the Reformation began?

When the Reformation began in 1517, the Catholic Church was led by Pope Leo X.

Leo X was known for his love of art. As pope, he spent a huge amount of money on art and architecture. One of his favorite artists was Raphael, and Leo X hired him to create many works of art.

Some historians have argued that the Reformation might not have ever started if Leo X had been more interested in religious matters and less interested in art.

What happened to earlier reformers?

John Wycliffe was an English reformer who criticized many of the Catholic Church's teachings. He was not killed for his teachings. But, many years after he died, the pope ordered people to dig up his body and burn his bones to show how angry the Catholic Church was about his teachings!

Jan Hus was a Czech reformer. In 1415, he was put on trial for spreading ideas that went against the teachings of the Catholic Church. When he refused to take back what he had said, Hus was sentenced to death and burned at the stake.

The Protestant Reformation affected religion and politics in Europe. For example, during the Reformation, the English government became Protestant. This change created conflict between that government and the Catholic Church. But it also created conflicts with Catholic governments, such as the Spanish monarchy.

Martin Luther was not the first person who tried to reform the Catholic Church, but his ideas had a bigger effect than earlier reformers. One reason why Luther had a bigger effect was that many people agreed with Luther's criticisms of the Catholic Church. Read three of Martin Luther's statements criticizing the Catholic Church.

It is certain that when money clinks in the [Catholic Church's] money chest, greed…can be increased.
Christians [should] be taught that the one who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than the one who [gives money to the Catholic Church].

Why does not the pope, whose wealth is today greater than…the richest, build this one [church named after] St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?

At first, Martin Luther only criticized the Catholic Church for collecting too much money from the Catholic community. But over time, he also started to criticize the Catholic Church's teachings. Compare the following teachings of the Catholic Church and Martin Luther during the Reformation.

Have Catholic teachings changed since the Reformation?

Yes! Although the pope is still the leader of the Catholic Church, many Catholic teachings have changed since the time of the Reformation. For example,

The Catholic Church no longer teaches that people have to perform Catholic rituals in order to go to heaven.
Catholic Bibles are now translated and read in many different languages.

Many people in Europe were unhappy with the Catholic Church. But in order for people to support Luther's call for reform, they first had to know what Luther said. The invention of the printing press made it easier for Luther and his supporters to spread his ideas.

Leaders of the Catholic Church were angry about Luther's teachings. In 1520, the pope wrote an official document, called a papal bull, criticizing Luther. The document demanded that Luther stop preaching against the Catholic Church.

What happened after Luther burned the papal bull?

After Luther burned the papal bull, the leader of the Holy Roman Empire called Luther to a meeting. At the meeting, Luther was told to recant, or take back, what he had said. Luther refused, and the Holy Roman Emperor declared that Luther was a heretic, or someone whose ideas go against the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Even though the Catholic Church tried to stop Martin Luther and his supporters, Luther's teachings continued to spread. By the 1520s, many people from different groups supported Luther.

Murderous, thieving hordes

Around 1524, some European peasants started a revolt, inspired by Luther's ideas about freedom and equality.

Although Luther's ideas had helped lead to the revolt, Luther did not support the peasants' actions. In response to the revolt, he wrote a document called Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants. In it, Luther criticized both the peasants for acting violently and rich princes and lords for treating peasants unfairly.

Both poor people and wealthy rulers supported Protestant ideas. One of the most famous rulers to leave the Catholic Church and become a Protestant was King Henry VIII of England. Read about Henry VIII.

In 1509, the King of England, Henry VIII, married Catherine of Aragon. They had a daughter, but Henry wanted a son who would become king after he died. Henry did not think that he could have a son with Catherine, so he asked to marry another woman named Anne Boleyn.

The pope would not agree to end the king's marriage to Catherine, so Henry VIII rejected the pope's authority. Henry then married Anne Boleyn anyway. Soon after this disagreement, the English government officially separated from the Catholic Church. It declared Henry VIII the leader of a new Protestant group, called the Church of England.

One reason why Henry VIII left the Catholic Church was because the pope would not allow him to end his marriage. Henry VIII became the leader of the Church of England.

Did Henry VIII ever have a son?

Yes. Henry VIII did have a son, but not with Anne Boleyn. Boleyn had a daughter, Elizabeth, but no surviving sons.

After Anne Boleyn was found guilty of treason and killed, Henry VIII married his third wife, Jane Seymour. Together, they had Edward.

The king went on to have three more wives, but none of them had any children.

While many people followed the teachings of Martin Luther, he was not the only important Reformation leader. As Protestant ideas spread across Europe, other religious leaders began teaching their own interpretations of Christianity. Another important reformer was John Calvin.

Both Luther and Calvin believed that people should learn about Christianity and God by studying the Bible. However, they did not always agree with each other. For example, Luther believed that anyone could go to heaven if they believed in God's forgiveness. But Calvin taught that God had already decided each person's fate. They also disagreed about the role that religious leaders should have in government.

No dancing in Geneva!

In 1541, John Calvin was asked to move to Geneva to help form a government based on Protestant teachings.

Under Calvin's leadership, a number of rules were put into place to control people's behavior. One rule made it illegal to dance. Others outlawed playing cards and dice.

Although Protestant groups gained many followers in the 1500s, many people remained Catholic. Leaders of the Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation with the Counter-Reformation. One main goal of the Counter-Reformation was to strengthen the influence of the Catholic Church again. The facts below describe a man named Ignatius (ig-NEY-shus) of Loyola. Historians argue he was an important leader during the Counter-Reformation.

Visions of God

Ignatius of Loyola began his career in the military. In 1521, while fighting in a war, he was hit by a cannonball. His legs were badly hurt, and he spent a long time in the hospital, recovering. While in the hospital, Ignatius read a number of Catholic texts and decided to commit himself to a religious life.

Once he became a religious man, Ignatius had a number of visions of religious figures. His most famous vision happened when he stopped in a small town on his way to see the pope in Rome. In the vision, Jesus and God asked Ignatius to serve them.

The Reformation and Counter-Reformation led to a number of conflicts between Catholics and Protestants throughout Europe. Look at the timeline of the Reformation period.

Peace of Westphalia

The Thirty Years' War officially ended in 1648 with a peace treaty signed in Westphalia, Germany. The treaty made the following agreements about religion:

Leaders could decide if their country's official religion would be Catholicism, Lutheranism, or Calvinism.
People were free to practice forms of Christianity that were different from the official religion of their country.

The effects of the Reformation were not limited to Europe. European rulers had been interested in exploring and controlling different places around the world before the Reformation. But after the Reformation began, people had additional reasons to settle in new areas.

John Winthrop was one Protestant who moved away from Europe and settled in North America. Below are some quotations adapted from a text Winthrop wrote. In the text, Winthrop lists reasons why he thought Protestants should move to North America.

Changes

- The Roman Catholic Church had less political power over governments in Europe.
- People started reading Christian texts and disagreeing about what they meant.
- More people left Europe to live in North America and spread their religion there.

Religion in Europe today

Today people practice many different religions throughout Europe. Countries such as France and Spain have large Catholic populations. And countries such as Germany and England have more Protestants. But there are also many people who practice other religions. Some of those religions were present in Europe before the Reformation, such as Judaism and Islam, while others are newer in Europe, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

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