Protestant Reformation 15-3

The Renaissance and Reformation Section 3:

The Protestant Reformation

In this section you will learn what developments led to the Protestant Reformation.

1. You discover how Martin Luther protested against the Roman Catholic Church and began a new church.

2. You will learn about the factors that caused the spread of Protestantism.

3. You will find out what role John Calvin and Calvinism played in the Reformation

4. Why did local princes gain more power as a result of the Protestant Reformation?

Focus Questions

1. How did the sale of indulgences play a role in the beginning of the Reformation?

2. What events led to the development of Protestantism?

3. How did the spread of Protestantism in England differ from that in the rest of Europe?

4. What role did John Calvin and Calvinism play in the Reformation?

Vocabulary

Indulgences: Paid pardons from punishment for sin

Martin Luther: Catholic monk who criticized the church’s selling of indulgences, was excommunicated from the Catholic Church, and founded the Lutheran Church

Sects: Religious societies of a few people, usually with a preacher as their leader

Henry VII: English king who created a new church in England, the Anglican Church, when the Catholic Church would not grant him a divorce from his wife

John Calvin: Founded a Protestant church based on belief in predestination

Predestination: Belief that at the beginning of time God decided who would be saved

Theocracy: Government ruled by religious leaders claiming God’s authority

Huguenots: French people, including high-ranking nobles, who converted to Calvinism

Section 3

Summary

Humanists criticized the Roman Catholic Church for becoming more interested in money, politics, and corruption than in saving souls. If you remember, the Humanist applied the teachings of the Greeks. The Greek philosopher Socrates encouraged people to question. The humanists questioned the motives of the church. The church collected a tithe (10% tax). So in addition to having power over people spiritually, the church accumulated a tremendous amount of wealth.

These criticisms led to the Reformation, a religious revolution that split the church in western Europe. The first break took place in the independent German states within the Holy Roman Empire. Pope Leo X sent a monk to raise funds by selling indulgences, or pardons from eternal punishment for sin. The selling of indulgences for money outraged northern humanists. A monk named Martin Luther challenged the selling of indulgences by nailing 95 theses, or statements, on a church door.

Luther then claimed that the Bible was the sole religious authority, not popes or bishops. Ceremonies and good deeds could not save a sinner. Salvation came through the grace of God, not through priests.

Luther used printing to spread his ideas. Pope Leo X declared Luther a heretic (an untrue Christian) and excommunicated (could receive the holy sacrements) him. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to appear before a special council, but Luther refused. The emperor declared Luther an outlaw and banned his works. German princes who protested the emperor’s treatment of Luther were called “Protestants.”

Luther translated the Bible into German so people could read it for themselves. He established the Lutheran faith, which many princes adopted. Emperor Charles V sent armies against the Protestant princes in Germany but could not defeat them. They reached a compromise stating that each ruler could choose the religion of his state. An important effect of the Protestant Reformation in Europe was that it strengthened the power of local princes and monarchs. If the ruler's subjects were no longer Catholic, then the Catholic church would not be able to have so much influence on the people. That shifted power to local princes.

Meanwhile in Germany and Switzerland hundreds of new sects arose. These were religious societies of a few people, usually with a preacher as their leader. Most sects later died out.

In Switzerland a French Protestant named John Calvin founded another church. In 1536 he published a clear explanation of Calvinist beliefs. Like Luther, Calvin relied on faith and the Bible. Calvin also emphasized predestination, the belief that at God had already decided who would be saved. These chosen ones formed a community that emphasized strict self-discipline. Calvinism became the official religion of Geneva. That city became a Calvinist theocracy, a government ruled by religious leaders who claimed God’s authority. Citizens’ lives were strictly regulated. Laws prohibited card playing, dancing, profane language, and showy dress. Punishment was severe.

In France many people, including high-ranking nobles, converted to Calvinism. They were called Huguenots (HYOO·guh·nahts). The Catholic monarchs persecuted the Huguenots, starting a series of bloody civil wars. In 1598 King Henry IV gave Huguenots freedom of worship. Calvinism soon spread to other parts of Europe.

In England the king, Henry VIII, broke with the Roman Catholic Church for political reasons, not religious beliefs. Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, because she had produced no son and because he wanted to marry Anne Boleyn. The church did not usually permit divorces, and the pope refused Henry’s demand. The king withdrew England from the Catholic Church and created the Church of England, or Anglican Church, with the king as its head. The creation of the Anglican Church led to the Protestant Reformation in England. An effect of the Protestant Reformation was the decline in the power of the Roman Catholic Church. With less people paying their tithe and less people under its influence/control, the Church was weaker than it had been before the 1517, the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

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A number of religious wars were fought as a result of the split from the Catholic Church. The "Thirty Years War" originally started with the Holy Roman Empire. The war stopped with the Peace of Westphalia, a series of peace treaties signed in 1648 ending the European the "Thirty Years' War" (1618–1648) in the Holy Roman Empire between the Habsburgs and their Catholic allies on one side, and the Protestant powers and their Catholic French allies on the other.

The reformation ends religious unity in Western Europe.

Answers to the focus questions above:

1. How did the sale of indulgences play a role in the beginning of the Reformation?

• The sale of indulgences outraged northern humanists, and this criticism sparked the beginning of the Reformation.

2. What events led to the development of Protestantism?

• The first event that led to the development of Protestantism was Martin Luther's criticism of the church. Then Pope Leo X declared Luther a heretic and excommunicated him. Then Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to appear before a council. When Luther refused, he declared Luther an outlaw and banned his works. German princes protested the emperor's treatment of Luther and were called Protestants. Luther's ideas continued to spread, and he established the Lutheran Church.

3. How did the spread of Protestantism in England differ from that in the rest of Europe?

• The spread of Protestantism in England differed from that in the rest of Europe because the king of England, Henry VIII, withdrew England from the Roman Catholic Church and created a new church. He broke with the church for political reasons, not religious beliefs.

4. What role did John Calvin and Calvinism play in the Reformation?

• John Calvin founded the Protestant religion of Calvinism and wrote a clear explanation of Calvinist beliefs. Calvinism became the official religion of Geneva, which became a theocracy. Calvinism also became popular in France, where it led to a series of bloody civil wars before the Calvinist Huguenots gained freedom of worship. Calvinism also spread to other parts of Europe.