The Reformation

Learn about the Reformation: Luther, Calvin, and church reform!

Around 1500, there was a movement to reform the Catholic Church. This period in time is referred to as the Reformation. Many people criticized the practices of the Church. There were also many corrupt practices in the Church. For example, one church friar was raising money by selling indulgences, or pardons, to forgive people for their sins. Some people basically believed that they could live as they choose and still buy their way into heaven. This wasn't the first time the Church had been criticized. In fact, even in the 1300s the Church had been challenged by Englishman John Wycliffe, who felt that Jesus, and not the pope, was the true head of the Church. He believed that church leaders should have no land or wealth. In the 1400s, Jan Hus, a professor in Bohemia, taught that the authority of the Bible was greater than the authority of the pope. Both of these early dissenters were executed by the Church In the 1500s, a monk in Germany named Martin Luther took a stand against the Church. He was very troubled by the selling of indulgences. He felt that people got into heaven by their faith and actions, not with their wealth, and that all humans - rich and poor - were equal before God. He also felt that the Bible was the ultimate authority. On October 31, 1517, he posted his 95 Theses (or formal complaints against the Church) on the door of a church and invited others to debate him. He wanted a full reformation of the Church. His actions protesting the Catholic Church led to the beginning of the Protestant Church.King Henry VIII of England helped to spread Protestant views. The king disagreed with the authority of the pope in Rome. He had been a loyal Catholic, but when he wanted a divorce to marry a younger woman, the Catholic Church would not allow it. Henry broke ties with the Catholic Church and became a Protestant. He declared it the religion of England and himself the leader. After Henry's death, when the throne changed hands to his daughter Mary, the Catholic religion was restored in England.When Henry's daughter Elizabeth I took the throne of England, she insured that the her kingdom was Protestant. In 1559, English Parliament followed her wishes and set up the Protestant Church of England with her at the head. Even though England was Protestant, Elizabeth was tolerant of Catholics and tried to keep many of the Catholic practices. She had the 39 Articles written, which outlined the practices of the Church of England. English protestants become known as Anglicans. Another leader of the Reformation was John Calvin. His teachings came to be called Calvinism. Calvin also believed in predestination - that God chooses a very few people to save and that He has known since the beginning of time who to save. His teaching helped to expand the Protestant movement. His followers were called Calvinists.The Catholic Counter ReformationThe Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation was called the Counter Reformation. Actions taken during the Counter Reformation included the formation of the Council of Trent, and the creation of the Society of Jesus, and the Inquisition.The Council of Trent made some changes to Church doctrine, but mostly it reaffirmed the Church’s authority. Ignatius of Loyola founded a religious order called the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1540.The Jesuits focused on teaching Catholic beliefs and spread Catholicism to non-Christians in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. The Inquisition was a court system used as a way to target Protestants and other heretics, those accused of teaching a false belief. The Inquisition used torture and even execution in order to get heretics to recant,Edict of NantesIn France, there was a lot of violence against French Protestants, known as Huguenots. Eventually, the French king granted the Huguenots religious freedom by signing the Edict of Nantes in 1598.The 30 Years War Many nobles in northern Germany converted to Protestantism. They saw this as a way to escape the power of the Pope. However, the Hapsburg family, the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, continued to support the Catholic Church. The leader of the Holy Roman Empire Charles the V failed to unite Europe as a Catholic Empire. After he abdicated his throne a war over religion between Catholics and Protestants called the Thirty Years’ War began. In 1635, Cardinal Richelieu,an adviser to the King of France, urged France to enter the war. Even though France was a Catholic nation, Richelieu supported the Protestant armies. The war ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 and protestants and Catholics stopped fighting. Match each event or person with the content./ beliefs Martin Luther All people are equal before God, salvation is achieved by faith alone, the Bible is the ultimate authority John Calvin God decides who will be saved from before they are born. Cardinal Richelieu French adviser who changed the 30 years war from a religious to political conflict Catholic Counter Reformation Church response to the Reformation including the Council of Trent, Inquisition, and Jesuits. Edict of Nantes Granted religious freedom to French Protestants The 30 years War religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Germany Indulgence Document that freed people from punishments for their sins Types of Protestantism- Matching Match the following terms Calvinists Followers of John Calvin Anglicans English Protestants Lutherans German Protestants/ Followers of Martin Luther Huguenots French Protestants