Transcript
Notes: The Protestant Reformation
Continued church conflict and reform
Religious/social/political elements of Protestant Reformation
Conflict outside of Europe
Catholic Church and the Papacy:
Pope (Bishop of Rome) was head of this Western/Catholic church
Investiture Controversy
Pope Innocent III & 4th Lateran Council
Political decline due to struggle of Philip IV and Boniface VIII
By 15th/16th Century
Church hierarchy/administration at Rome was very well-organized
Individual popes had little political power because Avignon papacy and Great Schism
Papa admin did have significant control over Christian belief
Earlier Periods of Change in the Churches:
Examples of reform in the western church
Church councils of 4th and 5th centuries. Council of Nicaea, 325
Carolingian liturgical and monastic reforms
Papal reforms of 11th and 12th century focused on canonical problems
14th century Avignon Papacy
Theological differences had already led to numerous Christian churches
Arian Church
Monophysite Church
Catholic (Roman)
Orthodox (Greek)
Pre-Modern Printing:
Woodblock printing
China by 220 CE
India by 7th century CE
Europe by 14th century
Invention of movable type
In China
Using porcelain by 1040
Copper by early 12th century
In wood by late 13th century
In Korea
Using bronze by c. 1230
In Germany
Johann Gutenberg, using a metal alloy c. 1450
European Printing Press:
Aided rapid dissemination of new ideas in this period, movable type
1st in Europe by Johann Gutenberg of Mainz between 1452-1453
145 on paper, 46 survived
Technique of printing with moveable type spread quickly across Europe
By 1500 there were around 1000 presses in Europe in more than 250 towns
Neither Renaissance nor Protestant Reformation could have taken on proportions which they did without its existence
Education, Printing Press, and the Reformation:
More widespread education leads clergy and lay people to question rule of the church and a single interpretation of Christianity
Erasmus (1466-1536), Dutch
An intellectual ink between Renaissance and Reformation
Humanist
Focused his attention on humanity and human affairs
Very good early education, especially classical authors
Strong interest in morality
Wrote “The Praise of Folly”, praise of human foolishness
“Best to be a fool for Christ”
Some ideas were shared by reformers, like Martin Luther.
What was the Protestant Reformation?
“Protestatio”= Declaration, Protestation
Intellectual and religious reformation of the church
Basic spiritual questions involved
Sacraments
Importance of Christian morality
Basic practical ideas included
Right to choose own pastor
Christian Bible in vernacular translations
Religious reform incorporated into very violent social changes
Desire to be relieved from serfdom
Freedom from some taxes
Who were some important figures of the Reformation?
Martin Luther of Wittenburg (1483-1546)
Augustinian monk in Germany
Achieved a late education, centered on Christian thought
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531)
Swiss priest turned popular preacher
John Calvin (1509-1564)
French lawyer who moved to Geneva in 1536
King Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547)
Not really a reformer until it suited him politically
Consequences of the Protestant Reformation:
Widespread violence
Peasants’ War in 1525 in Germany demanding more rights
By April 1525 as many as 300,000 peasants and artisans were in revolt against feudal and territorial lords
70,000-100,000 peasants killed during summer of 1525
30 Years War (1618-1648) to bring Bohemia back to Catholic church
Violence is carried to world exploration and conquest
Permanent split between Catholic and Protestant Churches
1555: Peace of Augsburg promoted principle of “cuius regio cuius religio” (whose territory, his religion)
Allowed Germans to choose religion for their state
Once reformers had upper hand in England, English church prohibited Catholic church for some time
Catholic Counter-Reformation
Medieval Roman Church completely transformed because of Protestant Reformation
