The Reformation

of Christianity

Erasmus and Christian Humanism

• As humanism spread to northern Europe it took on a more religious form.

• Scholars focused on the history of Christianity instead of Greece and Rome.

• Christian Humanism- a blend of humanist and religious ideas.

Desiderius Erasmus

• Many northern scholars began to feel that the church was corrupt and did not teach Jesus' teachings. Several influential voices began to call for reform of the church.

• Desiderius Erasmus- Dutch Renaissance scholar who remained a devout catholic although he wanted to reform the church from within.

• Erasmus believed that instead of rituals the church should focus on God and the teachings of Jesus

Reformers Call for Change

•By the late Renaissance people had begun to complain about the problems in the Catholic Church.

•Reformation- a reform movement against the Roman Catholic Church.

Unpopular Church Practices

• Some thought the bishops and priests were not religious anymore.

• Pope was too involved with politics and neglected his religious duties.

• The Catholic Church had become too rich

Unpopular Church Practices

• Objections arose because of the way the church earned money.

• The sale of indulgences became common practice.• Indulgences- document given by the pope that excused a

person from penalties for the sins they had committed.

• An indulgence was believed to reduce the time a person would spend in purgatory.• Purgatory- place where souls go to make up for sins that

were committed before going to heaven.

Martin Luther

Martin Luther• A German priest and professor of theology

• Credited with starting the Reformation. Never wanted to leave the Catholic Church, but wanted to reform it.

• Created a list of complaints against the church

• Ninety-five Theses- A list of protests against clerical abuses, especially the sale of indulgences.

Diet of Worms• His refusal to retract all of his

writings at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor.• Diet- council of nobles and church officials.

Pope Leo X

Charles V

Luther at Diet of Worms

Protestants• Luther’s ideas eventually led to a split in the church. This separate group became known as Protestants.

• Protestants- those who protested against the Catholic church.

Luther’s Beliefs

• Luther taught that anyone could have a direct relationship with God. People did not need priests to talk to God for them.

•He encouraged people to live as the Bible, not priests or the pope.

Martin Luther• Translated the Bible into German which

gave people who could not understand Greek or Latin a chance to read it for themselves.

• He also wrote pamphlets, essays, and songs about his ideas.

• Many nobles began to support his ideas, especially his idea that clergy should not be involved with politics.

Other Reformers

• William Tyndale- believed everyone should be able to read and interpret the Bible. Catholic teachings stated that only clergy could interpret the Bible.

• Translated the Bible into English

Other Reformers

• John Calvin- taught predestination, the idea that God knew who would be saved even before they were born.

King Henry VIII• Wanted a divorce but the Pope would not

grant him one. He decided that he would not obey the pope anymore and decided to break away from the Catholic Church. He broke away for personal reasons not religious ones.

• He started a new church called the Church of England or the Anglican Church.

• The rituals and practices of the Anglican Church stayed similar to the Catholic Church.

King Henry VIII

The Catholic Reformation

•The effort made to stop the spread of Protestantism and to reform the Catholic Church from within

•Also known as the counter reformation.

The Political Impact

• Catholic Reforms

• Catholic reformers created new religious orders to win people back to the Catholic Church

• The 1st of the new order was founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. It was called the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.

• Jesuits- religious order created to serve the pope and the church. They were trained to turn people against Protestantism.

The Political Impact

• The Council of Trent• Catholic leaders felt that more change was

necessary. They called a meeting for the church leaders in Trent, Italy.

• They restated the importance of clergy interpreting the Bible but made new rules they must follow. Clergy had to live in the area that they oversaw.

• The selling of indulgences was banned.

• Luther, Calvin, and other reformers ideas are banned.

The Political Impact

• Pope created religious courts to punish any people who were found to be protestants.

•Made a list of books he believed were dangerous to read. People could be excommunicated for reading books on this list.

The Council of Trent & Pope Paul III

Catholic Missionaries

• Saint Francis Xavier- Jesuit priest who brought Catholicism to parts of India and Japan in the mid-1500s.

Political Division

•The Reformation created division within Europe.

•Spain remained Catholic while many in the northern countries were Protestant.

The Political Impact

• Religious Wars• France was mostly Catholic. French

Protestants were called Huguenots.

• War broke out between Catholics and Protestants and lasted from 1562-1598.

• Eventually ended when Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes.

• Edict of Nantes- granted religious freedom in most of France.

Religious Wars• Countries in Europe

fought for decades trying to decide what religion to follow.

• Treaty of Westphalia- allowed rulers to determine whether their countries would be catholic or Protestant.

Social Changes•Before the Reformation most Europeans had no voice in governing the Catholic Church.

• Protestant churches encouraged congregations to make its own rules and elect its own leaders.

Social Changes• As time passed the power of the

congregations did not replace national governments but national rulers began to share power with local government.

• Federalism- sharing of power between local governments and a strong central government.

Summary• In the 1500s Protestants challenged

the Catholic Church.

• Catholic leaders adopted religious reforms to preserve the church’s influence.

• The religious changes of the Reformation led to conflict and social changes.