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Timeline of the Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformation
Historical Context: The Protestant Reformation was a time period from 1517 to 1648 when people like
Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Henry VIII protested against the Catholic Church and wanted to reform the
way the Church acted. It started with Martin Luther writing the 95 Theses, then Luther and others created
new churches that were not Catholic. Martin Luther and others translated the Bible into common languages,
and finally, many kings started supporting these new Churches to get power away from the Pope.
Your task: For each event in the timeline below, annotate if you think the Catholic Church/Pope made the
right or the wrong decision and explain why. Then answer the question at the end.
Timeline
Crusades: 1096-1294. After Muslim Turks invade Jerusalem, Pope Urban II asked European Christians to
fight in Crusades to conquer Jerusalem and make it a Christian city. He offered them indulgences
(forgiveness for their sins) if they fought.
The Commercial Revolution: 1300s-1600s. This was a time period after the Crusades when European
merchants increased trade with Muslim Empires. Kings charged merchants taxes, but the Pope would
convince these kings to give even more money to the Catholic Church since they were making more money.
The Black Death: 1347-1351. The Bubonic Plague killed 1/3 of Europe’s population. The Catholic Church
and its priests told people to pray and stop sinning to prevent the disease, but that didn’t work. Some people
lost faith in the Catholic Church as the way to make God happy.
Selling Indulgences: 1200s-1500s. The Catholic Church sold indulgences (forgiveness for someone’s sins).
The Pope believed that some parts of the Bible gave the Catholic Church permission to sell indulgences.
The Renaissance: 1450-1650. A rebirth of Roman and Greek culture led to more literacy, but the Catholic
Church still printed the Bible in Latin (only priests and scholars could read it). Most people learned to read in
common vernaculars (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, etc.), so people couldn’t read the Bible.
Do you think the Protestant Reformation was inevitable OR could the Catholic Church have somehow
prevented it by acting differently? Explain your answer using the examples on the front.
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