1517-1648: Reformation

The Protestant Reformation took off in the 16th-century. The religious, political, intellectual and cultural shift that was ripping through Europe had a huge impact on the Catholic Church.

The Reformation would splinter Catholic Europe into many pieces.

Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII are three important figures who set the wheels of change into motion. They challenged the Pope’s authority and questioned why the Catholic Church was allowed to dictate how people practised Christianity. The reformers wanted a Christianity where the Bible was the sole source of spiritual authority, not an old white dude who lived in a gold city.

This new thinking caused wars across the continent and lead many people to being burnt at the stake. It caused an intellectual and cultural flourishing. It gave freedom and liberty back to the people. Religion was, for the first time, becoming democratic.

"A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing."

Martin Luther

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