Download Protestant Reformation and Wars of Religion

Global Studies I
Mr. Mintzes
UNIT OUTLINE: The Protestant Reformation and The Wars of Religion
Christian Humanism
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Humanism of the Italian Renaissance spread to northern Europe – new movement
grew up called Christian Humanism.
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Humanists believed that people could reason and could improve themselves
They wanted to reform the Catholic Church – church was opposed to individual
thinking and expression of it opposed church doctrine
Reform would come from inner piety (religious feeling) and studying Christian
works, not by abandoning the church.
Most famous humanist was Erasmus. His philosophy was to show people how to
live good lives on a daily basis rather than how to achieve eternal salvation.
He did not want to break away from the church.
Problems in the Catholic Church
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By mid 15th century the Popes became more concerned with political issues and
expanding territory controlled by the Vatican (the Papal States) than with
religion and “saving souls.” Warrior Popes like Julius II led armies.
Many church officials used their offices to advance their careers and wealth.
Many priests were ignorant of how to advise their parishioners on achieving
salvation
To raise money for the church, especially for the construction of St. Peter’s in
Rome, the church began to sell Indulgences.
A contribution to the church would gain you admission to heaven upon
death.
A larger contribution could save your already deceased parents, or even
grandparents, and get them “transferred” from Purgatory (Hell) to Heaven.
“Top salesman” of indulgences in Germany was a monk named Tetzel.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a monk and a professor at University of Wittenberg in
Germany.
Luther rejected the idea that good works were necessary to achieve salvation.
He believed that salvation was achieved trough faith alone.
Luther was particularly angered by the sale of indulgences – believed that
indulgences harmed people’s chance of salvation.
Luther and the Reformation
In 1517 Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg
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The 95 Theses were a listing of the abuses of the Catholic Church and a call for
reforms in the Church.
The 95 Theses were NOT a call for a new religion of for the downfall of the
Catholic Church.
Thanks to the printing press – now in widespread use in Europe – thousands of
copies of the 95 Theses were printed and distributed.
Because of the increase in literacy as a result of the Renaissance, more people
than ever could read Luther’s attacks on the Church.
In 1520, Luther called on the German princes (Germany was not yet a country,
but a collection of over 300 small countries) to overthrow the Pope and
establish a reformed (hence the word Reformation) German Catholic Church.
Luther called for the retention of only two of the many sacraments – baptism and
communion – and maintained that priests should be allowed to marry. He
developed a new service which included reading from the Bible and singing.
This eventually became a new religion - Lutheranism
Luther was excommunicated in 1521
Luther called to appear before the Imperial Diet (legislative assembly) in the city
of Worms.
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V asked Luther to recant his statements and
change his ideas. Luther refused.
Edict of Worms, issued by the Emperor, declared Luther to be an outlaw.
Luther was banished – no one was to give him aid. He was sheltered by his own
king – King of Saxony (Frederick the Wise).
Many German princes saw the chance to gain power and to reduce the influence
of the church. They took control of Catholic churches and formed their own state
religions.
Reformation Brings War – then a division of the Church
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Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor (also King of Spain) controlled many lands
in Central Europe as well as Spain and Spanish possessions in the New World. He
wanted these to remain Catholic.
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His chief rival was France.
Charles was also engaged in almost constant warfare with the Ottoman Empire,
which was expanding into the Balkans (southeast Europe)
The Pope was also nervous about Charles’ power in Europe so he sided with
France.
Many of the German princes (see above) also sided with Luther, and thus against
Charles V.
Peace of Augsburg (1555) was signed by Charles and the German princes. It
accepted the division of Christianity in German between Catholics and
Lutherans – First official recognition of a Christian religion that was not
Catholic)
Rulers could choose their own religion to by followed by their subjects. Peace of
Augsburg did not give religious freedom. “State” religion had to be
followed. The peasants could not worship as they saw fit, but as their
rulers declared.
Reformation in England
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Henry VIII was King of England. He was married to Catherine of Aragon.
- Henry and Catherine were both Catholic.
- Henry wanted a son, but Catherine also gave birth to daughters.
- Henry wanted to divorce Catherine and marry Ann Boleyn, but the Pope would
not agree to annul the marriage (declare it invalid)
- The Archbishop of Canterbury went along with Henry and declared the marriage
null and void.
- Angry that the Pope would not give him what he wanted, Henry had the English
Parliament pass the Supremacy Act. Henry was named head of the Church of
England (now the Anglican Church) Basically, Henry just formed a new
church.
- Anne Boleyn did not produce a male heir either, and she was beheaded. Her
daughter, however, became Elizabeth I, one of England’s greatest monarchs.
The Counter-Reformation – The Catholic Response to Lutheranism
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Pope Paul III convened the Council of Trent in 1543 to review the issues in the
Catholic Church, especially those that had caused the Reformation
- reforms included seminaries for training priests, new monastic orders, changes in
existing orders
- Council rejected all chance of compromise with the Protestants – made the split in
the church permanent.
- Council rejected Luther’s position that good works were not the way to achieve
salvation
- Retained the idea of pilgrimages, did not reject the Catholic saints, and did not
change the church view of the Virgin Mary.
- Most of the reforms related to the clergy – education of priests, rejection of
political appointments to high church office, etc.
Ignatius of Loyola founds the Society of Jesus
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Loyola was a Spanish noblemen and a former soldier
- he founded the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) as a religious order
- the Jesuits took a special vow of obedience to the Pope
- they stressed education as a means to restore and spread Catholicism, which they
were successful in doing in parts of German and Eastern Europe and then as
missionaries in the New World.
- Jesuit universities are found all over the world. In the US, some famous Jesuit
universities are Fordham, Georgetown, Boston College, St. Johns and Loyola.
- Jesuits are sometimes referred to as “God’s marines”
Calvinism and Zwingli
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Huldrych Zwingli, a priest in Zurich began a new religious group in Switzerland.
- Relics and images were forbidden
- A new service consisting of reading the scriptures replaced the Catholic Mass
John Calvin takes over for Zwingli
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Zwingli died in a war between Catholics and Protestants and John Calvin
assumed the leadership of Swiss Protestants.
- Calvin was French. He fled France for Switzerland and converted to
Protestantism.
- Calvin based his religion on the belief in pre-destination - a theory that God
determined in advance who would be saved (go to Heaven) and who would be
damned.
- His followers all believed that they had been pre-destined for salvation, so that all
their works were in the name of God.
- Calvin established a church controlled state in Geneva – a theocracy - where a
church council enforced moral and religious rules.
- People could be punished for violating the rules on morality and behavior and
could be punished for crimes such as gambling or dancing.
- Calvinist missionaries, trained in Geneva, were sent around the world to convert
Catholics and other Protestants. By the mid 16th century, Calvinism replaced
Lutheranism as the largest Protestant sect.
Wars of Religion – Civil War in France and The Thirty Years War
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By mid 16th century Calvinism and Catholicism were at war with each other –
they were fighting for converts.
- In France the Calvinists were called Huguenots.
- Huguenots were only 7% of the population but made up 50% of the nobility.
- House of Bourbon was Protestant and was in line to take over the French throne
from the House of Valois, which was Catholic – this possibility frightened
many Catholics.
- Huguenots and Catholics fought a civil war for 30 years to gain supremacy.
- Henry IV, a Bourbon and a Protestant, succeeded to the throne, but he converted
to Catholicism in order to keep peace.
- Henry issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 – recognized Catholicism as the official
religion of France, but gave the Huguenots full religious freedom and the right
to hold public office.
The Thirty Years War
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The Thirty Years War began in 1618. It was basically a struggle between the Holy
Roman Empire – ruled by the Hapsburgs (who also ruled Spain) and France (as
well as many other countries, except England) for the domination of Europe.
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It was a religious war, because many of the causes were based upon the
differences between Calvinism and Catholicism
Most of the war was fought in Germany (in the various German kingdoms)
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For 30 years German towns and cities were attacked, capture, re-captured,
plundered and destroyed.
In terms of percentage of soldiers who became casualties, the 30 Years War was
the most costly, most destructive and most deadly in European history.
New weapons were developed such as the musket and the bayonet, as well as new
kinds of artillery.
Governments began to develop standing armies of professional soldiers, in part
because many of the soldiers in the 30 Years War were mercenaries – by 1700
France had a standing army of 400,000
By the end of the war, France had become the dominant power in Europe.
War ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 which guaranteed the right of all
the German states to determine their own religion, and thus they became
independent.
The Holy Roman Empire ended. Germany would remain a collection of hundreds
of independent states for another 200+ years – until 1871.
The 30 Years War was the last of the widespread religious wars that grew from
the Protestant Reformation.