Transcript Slide 1
The Protestant Reformation
Religious Conflict and Struggle in Western Europe (1517-1648)
I.
Pre-Luther Catholic Reformers: John Wycliff (1330-1384)
• English theologian.
• He declared the Bible to be the sole source of faith. • He was the first to translate it into English in 1380-1381. • Wycliffe demanded the absolute poverty of the Church.
Pre-Luther Catholic Reformers: Jan Hus (1370-1415)
• Born in Bohemia (Czech Republic) / died in Germany • Highly influenced by Wycliff’s works. To Wycliffe’s works he added his opposition to
indulgences.
• Excommunicated twice for his teachings (1411 & 1412). Burned at the stake in 1415.
Preparing to Burn Jan Hus at the Stake, 1415
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
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“The Church of Rome, formerly the most holy of all churches, has become the most lawless den of thieves, the most shameless of all brothels, the very kingdom of sin, death, and hell; so that not even Antichrist, if he were to come, could devise any addition to its wickedness
”. Luther letter to Pope Leo X (Freedom of a Christian)
Luther and His Beliefs
• Luther lived in chronic conviction that he was damned. The means offered by the church to allay such fears of spiritual anguish – the sacraments – prayer, attendance at Mass, gave him no satisfaction. • He became even more pessimistic after a trip to Rome where he found the capital of Catholicism mired in corruption.
Luther and His Beliefs
• From a reading and pondering of St. Paul (Romans I, 17
)
“the just shall live by faith”
he discovers that it is not the Church, but his own individual faith that will guarantee his salvation.
Luther and His Beliefs
•
1517
– In response to the indulgences, Luther posted his
95 Theses
on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg. Luther held that, after confession, the sinner is freed of his burden not by the priest’s absolution, but by inner grace and faith alone.
Luther vs. Pope Leo X "he is richer than Croesus, he would do better to sell St Peters and give the money to the poor people..."
Luther and His Beliefs
Luther held that there was no high church authority to define true Christian belief. Each individual might read the Bible and freely make his own interpretation according to his own conscience.
Luther urged Germans to find Christian truth in the Bible themselves.
Luther and His Beliefs
• He denounced reliance on fasts, pilgrimages, saints, and Masses. He reduced the 7 sacraments to 2 – baptism and the communion.
• He declared that the clergy should marry.
• To drive through his church reforms, denying the clergy an influence over them, Luther called on the princes of Germany to help.
Luther and His Beliefs
Christian liberty was an internal freedom, purely spiritual, known only to God. In worldly matters, the good Christian owed a perfect obedience to established authority.
1.
Economic Causes of the Reformation
Middle Class * Unhappy paying tithe to Rome * Complained about Church ownership of land 2. Nobles * Many converted to Lutheranism to confiscate land belonging to Catholic Church * The Catholic Church was the largest landowner in the Holy Roman Empire: 1/7 of the land.
Political Reasons for the Protestant Reformation
• The Reformation added power and wealth to the kings or the territorial princes from: 1. the Roman Catholic Church 2. the Holy Roman Empire • Many wanted to gain independence so they joined Luther’s movement
The Peasant Wars, 1525
• Led by ex-priest Thomas Muntzer • Causes: 1) Peasants paid two taxes: 1 to their lord and 1 to the Church.
2) Wanted the abolition of serfdom • Results: 1) Luther condemned the rebel peasants.
2) Catholics and reformers joined together to crush rebellion 3) More than 100,000 were killed, maimed, imprisoned or exiled.
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Decline of the Roman Catholic Church – Cause of the Protestant Reformation
Corruption, opulence, moral degradation of the Catholic Church Renaissance – emphasis on secular achievements of the individual Scientific Revolution – Scientific discoveries challenge the long-standing teachings of the Church.
4. Rise of the nation-state and strong central governments in Europe - Rise of the monarchies 5. Protestant Reformation Luther taught that people don’t need the help of clergy or the Church for salvation. Salvation comes from the Bible.
Catholic Church Response to Luther
Pope Leo X accused Luther of Heresy and excommunicated him.
Pope summoned Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to quiet Luther. He summoned him to retract his criticisms at the
Diet of Worms (1521).
presided over the Diet.
Luther argued with theologians for a week. Luther hoped he could convert Charles who Luther was protected by Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony.
While under protection, Luther translates the Bible into German.
His ideas, and the German translation of the Bible spread as a result of the printing press.
Luther at the Diet of Worms (1521) "Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."
Charles V (1500-1558) Holy Roman Emperor (ruled 1519-1556)
• Charles needed the support of the German princes against: 1. France (Hapsburg-Valois Wars (1521-1544) 2. Ottoman risk from the East.
Switzerland’s Reformation
1.
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) * Established his headquarters in Zurich in 1520.
Beliefs: * Wanted to create a strict theocratic government in Zurich where religious values were infused in every aspect of political and social life.
* Believed eucharist was a sign of Christ’s union with believers. Luther thought believed that Christ was truly and symbolically present in this sacrament.
Switzerland’s Reformation
2. Anabaptists • Believed that only adults had the free will to truly understand and accept baptism and therefore had to be rebaptized (Anabaptism means rebaptism).
• They refused to aknowledge the authority of the courts and refused to bear arms or swear oaths of allegiance.
Switzerland’s Reformation
3. John Calvin (Jean Cauvin) (1509-1564) * Born in France but because of religious persecution of non Catholics, he went to Geneva, Switzerland.
Beliefs: • No Christian is guaranteed salvation. Believed every person was
predestined
to either go to heaven or hell by God before they were born.
• • Calvinists demanded strict discipline from their followers. Geneva became a theocratic community where dissent was forbidden.
Protestant Values
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Encouraged reading the Bible in the vernacular.
2. Protestant reformers set up schools to educate children in the new religious values.
3. Protestant reformers focused on poor relief.
4. “Protestant Work Ethic” – linked hard work and prosperity with piety and divine providence and considered laziness a sign of immorality.
The English Reformation
• Henry VIII (1491-1547) was originally strongly against the Protestant Reformation - Awarded
“Defender of the Faith”
by Pope Leo X for a pamphlet he wrote denouncing Luther. (1521) • 1527 – Wanted an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon because she failed to produce a son & heir to his thrown.
English Reformation
• Pope Clement VII (Giuliano Medici) refused to give him an annulment because Catherine was Charles’ aunt.
• 1533: Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of the newly proclaimed Church of England annulled Henry’s marriage. Henry married his love, Ann Boleyn almost immediately.
• 1534: Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy making Henry the “only supreme head on Earth of the Church of England.” • Many English Catholics refused to accept the Act. Some were executed for treason (Thomas More).
English Reformation
• Under Henry, not many changes were made to Catholic forms of worship. Only changes were: - he became head of the Anglican Church - confiscated some Catholic Church lands and wealth and gave it to nobles and other “high-ranking” citizens.
- allowed the use of English in Church services
The Wives of Henry VIII
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Post-Henry Protestant Reforms in England
Edward VI (1538 1553), Henry’s only son from wife Jane Seymour, succeeded his dad when he was 9.
• Edward and Cranmer passed laws bringing minor Protestant changes. Catholics resisted.
• Edward’s half-sister Mary Tudor (Henry & Catherine of Aragon’s daughter) succeeded Edward in 1553. She was determined to return England to Catholic faith.
• Mary’s successor, Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603) (Henry & Anne Boleyn’s daughter) upheld the Church of England but preserved much Catholic ritual.
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Wars of Religion in Europe (1530-1648)
Protestants vs. Catholics – Holy Roman Empire - Lutheran princes formed Schmalkaldic League against Catholic Emperor Charles V.
- Charles forced to negotiate with Protestants: a) war was a stalemate b) Charles bankrupt the budget as a result of his wars Result: 1555 – Peace of Augsburg - all princes had the right to choose the religion of their land and people - the Peace did not include rights for Calvinists, Anabaptists - Charles abdicated his throwns in 1556.
Wars of Religion (1530-1648)
2. French Wars of Religion (1562-1598) 1/3 of French nobles converted to Calvinism during 1540’s 1550’s - August 24, 1572: St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre – in three days, Catholic mobs murdered 3,000 Huguenots (Calvinists) in Paris.
- During this time France was suffering from weak leadership. In 1589, Henry of Navarre (Bourbon), a Huguenot became king of France. Henry IV.
- Realizing Catholic France would never accept a Huguenot king, Henry converted to Catholicism (1593).
- To end the civil war, Henry issued the Edict of Nantes (1598) giving Huguenots extended freedom of worship. They were allowed to keep their courts and even their own troops.
St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre 1572
France, 1550-1598
Henry IV (ruled 1589-1610) Catherine de Medici (lived 1519-1589)
Wars of Religion (1530-1648)
3. Thirty Years War (1618-1648) Long-Term Causes: - (1555-1618) Tensions were still high in HRE after the Peace of Augsburg. Lutherans lost some cities back to Catholics and Calvinists.
- New Catholic Emperor Ferdinand, crowned king of Bohemia in 1617, curtailed Protestant religious rights. 2 years later he became Holy Roman Emperor.
Short-Term Cause: - May, 1618: two Catholic deputies were thrown out of a castle window in Prague by angry Protestants.
Wars of Religion (1530-1648)
Thirty Years War (continued) The First Battle: Catholic victory - When Ferdinand was named Emperor, Protestant Czechs in Bohemia refused to recognize him. (1620) Ferdinand’s Catholic imperial forces defeated the Czech rebels at the Battle of White Mountain.
Result: Battle of White Mountain was a symbol of the Czechs’ desire for independence that they didn’t attain until 1918.
- HRE helped by Spanish troops and money from the Pope.
Wars of Religion (1530-1648)
Thirty Years War (continued) The Second Battle: Catholic victory - 1625 - Catholic mercenary armies (with the support of Ferdinand) occupied and plundered Protestant lands.
- Lutheran King of Denmark Christian IV invaded to protect German Protestants. He was defeated.
Result: - Ferdinand issued the Edict of Restitution (1629): outlawed Calvinism and reclaimed Catholic Church property confiscated after 1555 (Peace of Augsburg).
Wars of Religion (1530-1648)
Thirty Years War (continued) The Third Battle: Protestant victory in HRE / French defeat Spaniards - Swedish Lutheran King Gustavus Adolphus invaded the northern Holy Roman Empire in 1630.
- Adolphus received financial aid from Catholic France. - Swedish forces made it to southern Germany and occupied Catholic territory. Adolphus was killed in battle in 1632.
- 1635: France declared was on Catholic Spain to help the Calvinist Dutch gain independence from Spain. Spanish forces at first entered France all the way to Paris. Then the French turned the tide.
- 1635: Edict of Restitution was rescinded.
- 1643: French forces defeat Spaniards. Portugal gained its independence.
- 1648: Swedish forces destroyed the culturally rich city of Prague. Germans wanted peace and an end to Swedish and French occupation.
Peace of Westphalia (1644-1648)
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France & Sweden insisted that every German state should send a separate representative.
Updated the Peace of Augsburg to include Calvinists.
Protestants got back lands they originally got at Augsburg but lost in the Edict of Restitution (1629).
The Holy Roman Empire ceased to exist as a unified empire: - Netherlands and Switzerland broke away - France took parts of Alsace-Lorraine - Sweden gained territory in the northern HRE - over 300 German states belonging to the HRE became virtually independent France replaced Spain as the continental European power.
The concept of European unity was dead.
Effects of the Thirty Years War on Germany
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As much as 1/3 of the population of 15 million died.
Instead of unifying, the German states fragmented even further.
Europe, 1648
Catholic Reformation or the Counter Reformation
• The Catholic reaction to the Protestant challenge.
• Pope Paul III (r.1534-1549) convened a council to strengthen position of the Catholic Church.
• The
Council of Trent
between 1545-1563.
met periodically
The Council of Trent
Counter Reformation – Council of Trent
• Decisions made at Trent shaped Catholicism until the 1960’s • The Council rejected the major Protestant positions: - confirmed the supremacy of the clergy - Papal power was not limited. Pope remained the central authority in the Catholic Church - salvation to be achieved by faith AND good works
Counter Reformation – Council of Trent (continued)
- upheld the 7 sacraments - Rejected Protestant claim to find true faith in the Bible alone - Latin was confirmed as the official language of the Bible - The right of individuals to believe in their own interpretation of the Bible over church authorities was rejected - Celibacy of the clergy was maintained “Correct” practice of indulgences was reaffirmed
Counter Reformation – Council of Trent (continued)
- Veneration of saints, pilgrimages, the use of religious images in Church upheld • The Council also: - Strengthened the Inquisition to fight against Protestantism - Inquisition prepared the Index of Forbidden Books – books banned for Catholics to read - A new Catholic order was established – the Jesuits
The Jesuits
• Founded by Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) • • • • • Spiritual and moral discipline Rigorous religious training Absolute obedience to the Church Set up schools that taught humanist and Catholic beliefs Missionary work spread Catholic faith to Asia, Africa and the Americas.