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The Reformation
Chapter 14
Part 1
Causes of the Protestant Reformation
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The Prestige of the Church was in decline due to
the Crises of the 14th and 15th centuries:
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The Babylonian Captivity 1309-1377
The Great Schism 1377-1417
The Conciliar Movement ( sharing power with
an assembly and restricting Pope’s power with a
Constitution was rejected by several 15th and
16th century Popes.
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Corruption within the Church
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Simony The sale of Church offices
In 1487 the pope sold 24 offices
 Reformers unhappy by unqualified people in Church
offices
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Pluralism an official holding more than one
church office at a time
Absenteeism a church officials collecting
payments and privileges even when not
performing a duty
More Corruption in the Church
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Nepotism: The appointment of Church offices
to family members
Leo X and Clement VII were both sons of Medici
Florentine rulers
 Pope Paul III made two of his grandsons cardinals
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The Sale of Indulgences: people paying money
to the Church to absolve their sins or sins of
their loved ones
The moral decline of the papacy
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Pope Alexander VI had numerous affairs and
children out of wedlock
In the early 16th century, 1/5 of all priests in
Trent kept concubines
Clerical Ignorance: Many priests were illiterate
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Some abused their power (trading sexual favors for
absolution, etc.)
Critics of the Church
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Emphasized a personal relationship with God
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Wyclif: (England) The Bible is the sole authority
Diminished the importance of the sacraments
Stressed personal communion with God
Lollards continued his ideas into the 16th century
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Critics
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Jan Hus (Bohemia)
Freedom of debate
Ultraquism
Vernacular
Transubstantiation
Was executed at the Council of Constance
More Critics
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Thomas a’ Kempis wrote The Imitation of Christ
Founded The Brethren of the Common Life
Encouraged Christians to life simply and make
religion a personal experience
More Critics
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Erasmus In Praise of Folly
Criticized the corruption of the Church and the
hypocrisy of the clergy
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“Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched.”
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Christian Humanists in the North
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Criticized the Church AND questioned the
validity of the Vulgate
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New Translations of the Bible undermined
Catholic authority
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In the North: Erasmus, Ximenes (Spain) LeFevre
(in France) Valla (in Italy)
Italian Renaissance
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Deemphasized religion
Secularism and individualism emphasized by
Church leaders
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Many decried the moral decline of the Church
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New Critics opposed to the moral
decline of the Church
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Ulrich Zwingli was a preacher who was trained
as a humanist and used Erasmus’ edition of the
Greek New Testament
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John Calvin was influenced by humanism;
especially the writings of Erasmus
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After the Reformation, many monasteries were
turned into schools by humanists.
Martin Luther 1483-1546
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Was supposed to be a lawyer
Conversion experience
Augustinian monk
Taught at the University of Wittenberg in
Saxony
At the Same time…
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Pope Leo X looking for more money to build
St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome
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Authorized John Tetzel to sell indulgences
“As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul
from purgatory springs.”
Tetzel’s selling of indulgences had gotten out of
hand
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October 31, 1517 The 95 Thesis
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Luther went beyond the mere criticism of selling
indulgences
He questioned the authority of the Pope to
grant indulgences (Scriptural questions)
The actual nailing of the 95 Thesis may not have
happened
But the printing press spread his ideas rapidly
The Pope was not worried
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Luther’s outbursts did not seem unlike
theological debates between different orders of
monks that were common
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BUT in 1518 when Luther was told by the pope
to stop, he defied the Pope’s authority
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Luther’s protector was Frederick III (the Wise)
of Saxony
In a 1520 debate
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With Catholic theologian, Johann Eck
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Luther denied the infallibility of the pope (and a
general council)
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Claimed that the Church made a mistake when
executing Jan Hus
Remember what was going on in
Italy
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Renaissance
The League of Cambrai and invasion
1520 Luther published his theology
of reform
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Salvation through faith alone
Bible is the sole authority
Rejected most sacraments (baptism, communion
and penance still ok)
The Church = priesthood of all believers
Criticized indulgence sales, simony, etc.
Rejected poverty, chastity, obedience
Encouraged German princes to reform the
Church in their states (advantages)
Leo X excommunicated Luther 1520
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Luther threw the Papal Bull containing the news
into the fire
1521 The Diet of Worms
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Was the tribunal of the HRE which had the
power to outlaw and sentence execution
through burning at the stake
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Charles V had promised before his election to
HRE that he would not allow anyone to be
executed or outlawed without a fair trial
The Diet of Worms
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Charles V demanded that Luther recant his
writings
Luther, “Here I stand, I can do no other”
Edict of Worms: Luther was outlawed as a
heretic by the HRE
But was saved and protected by agents of
Frederick the Wise
1523 Luther translated the Bible into
the Vernacular
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= the development of the modern German
language
Since any literate German could have access to
Scripture…was a democratizing factor for
religion
1530 Confessions of Augsburg
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Written by Luther’s friend…Philip Melanchthon
He tried to mend the rift between Lutheranism
and Catholicism within the German states of the
HRE
Didn’t work BUT…
Confessions of Augsburg became the traditional
statement of the Lutheran Church
Confessions of Augsburg
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Salvation through Faith alone
Bible is the sole authority
The Church is the Priesthood of all believers
The early spread of Lutheranism
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German princes in the North were drawn to
Lutheranism:
they could escape the authority of the Catholic
Church
They could confiscate Church lands within their
kingdoms
The Southern part of the HRE remained
Catholic
The spread of Lutheranism
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Denmark and Sweden also embraced
Lutheranism
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Calvinism will win much of the rest of Western
Europe…later
The Political Repercussions of
Lutheranism
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Charles V (too late) tried to stop the spread of
Lutheranism
Remember…Sack of Rome 1527
Was busy fighting Francis I in Italy
Also Turks were threatening Hungary
Now HRE and the Pope allied against
Lutheranism
The Swabian Rebellion
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Aka The Peasants’ War 1524-1525
Peasants believed that Luther would support a
liberal social agenda because he was religiously
liberal
BUT, Although Luther sympathized with the
plight of the peasants, he was not interested in
social or political reform; only in reforming the
Church
The Swabian Rebellion
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1525: TheTwelve Articles (Peasants’ Demands)
End of serfdom and tithes
 End of Feudal hunting rights and other oppressive
practices
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100,000+ peasants involved
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Luther: Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of
the Peasants
The Swabian Peasant Uprising
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Luther was disgusted with the violence
Admonished both Lutheran and Catholic
princes to crush the revolt
They did
The peasants felt betrayed
REMEMBER: Although Luther was a religious
liberal, he was no threat to the existing social or
political order.