Lesson 3: The Protestant
Reformation
Topic 10: The Renaissance and Reformation (1300-1650)
BELLWORK
Log onto Pearson and read the Start Up: Launching the Protestant Reformation - then answer the following questions
1.Why do you think it was important that Luther invite Church representatives to defend policies that had been in place for centuries?
2.What clues exist in the opening paragraph of the 95 Theses that show Luther’s general state of mind at the time?
OBJECTIVES
Summarize the factors that encouraged the Protestant Reformation
Explain the impact of the printing press on the Reformation
Analyze Martin Luther’s role in shaping the Protestant Reformation
Explain the teachings and impact of John Calvin
STANDARDS
Concept 4: Renaissance and ReformationPO 2. Explain how the ideas of the Protestant Reformation and the
Catholic Reformation (e.g.,secular authority, individualism, migration, literacy and vernacular, the arts) affected society
Causes of the Reformation
During the Renaissance society grew impatient with the corruption of the clergy and the worldliness of the Roman Catholic Church
From the bitterness arose new calls for reform
During the Middle Ages, the Church had renewed itself from within
In the 1500s reform unleashed forces that would shatter Christian unity in Europe
The Protestant Reformation
Abuses Within the Church
Since the late Middle Ages, the Church had been involved in worldly affairs
Popes competed with Italian princes for political power
Fought long wars to protect the Papal States against invasions by secular rulers
Plotted against powerful monarchs who tried to seize control of the Church within their lands
Abuses Within the ChurchPopes, like other Renaissance rulers, led lavish lives and were patrons of the arts
They hired painters and sculptors to beautify churches and spent vast sums to rebuild the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome
To finance projects, the Church increased fees for some services
Some clergy also promoted the sale of indulgences
Abuses Within the Church
In the Middle Ages, the Church had granted indulgences for good deeds
By the late 1400s indulgences could be bought with money or a gift to the Church
Many Christians protested such practices
Abuses Within the Church
In Northern Europe religious piety deepened
Christian humanists urged a return to the simplicity of the early Christian church
They stressed Bible study and rejected Church pomp and ceremony
Early Reformers
Before the Protestant Reformation, a few religious thinkers had called for change
Late 1300s, John Wycliffe attacked corruption and questioned some Church doctrines
He is probably best remembered for supporting the translation of the Bible into English
His ideas spread to other lands
Early Reformers
John Hus was a Czech priest and philosopher
Believed Christians should be allowed to read the Bible in their own language
Rejected some Church teachings, including indulgences
Put on trial for his activities, and was burned at the stake
Martin Luther’s Protests Bring Change1517 protests erupted into a revolt
Triggered by a German monk and professor of theology Martin Luther
As a youth he had a powerful religious experience
Luther entered a monastery, prayed, fasted, and tried to lead a holy life yet he suffered from doubts
He believed he was a sinner and was doomed
Martin Luther’s Protests Bring Change
He was also disillusioned with what he saw as the corruption and worldliness of the Church
An incident in his native town of Wittenberg, Germany, prompted him to act
95 Thesis Challenges the Church
In 1517, a priest, Johann Tetzel, began to sell indulgences to anyone who contributed money for the rebuilding of the Cathedral of St. Peter, with the approval of the pope
The purchase assured entry into heaven for the buyers and their dead relatives
95 Thesis Challenges the Church
To Luther this was an outrage
Furious that people could pay for indulgences and think they were saved instead of seeking true repentance for their sins
Besides, only the rich could afford indulgences
95 Thesis Challenges the Church
In response, Luther drew up a list of 95 Theses, or arguments, against indulgences
Following the custom of the time, he posted the list on the door of Wittenberg’s All Saints Church
Argued that indulgences had no basis in the Bible, that the pope had no authority to release souls from purgatory, and that Christians could be saved only through faith
A Firestorm Begins
Copies of the 95 Theses were printed and distributed across Europe, where they stirred furious debate
The Church called on Luther to recant, Luther refused
He developed even more radical doctrines instead
He urged Christians to reject the tyranny of Rome, saying the Church could only be reformed by secular authorities
1521, Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther
The new Holy Roman emperor, Charles V, summoned Luther to the diet of German princes at Worms and ordered him to give up his writings, he refused Charles declared Luther an outlaw, making it a crime for anyone in the empire to give him food or shelter
A Firestorm Begins
Luther had many powerful supporters and they hid him
Throughout Germany, thousands hailed him as a hero
They accepted his teachings and, following his lead, renounced the authority of the pope
Luther’s Teachings
Salvation could be achieved through faith alone, rejecting the idea that good deeds were necessary for salvation
The Bible was the sole source of religious truth not Church councils or the pope
Rejected the idea that priests and the Church hierarchy had special powers, all Christians have equal access to God through faith and the Bible
Translated the Bible into the German vernacular so that ordinary people could study it
Believed every town should have a school where children could learn to read the Bible
Wanted to change or modify other church practices
He rejected five of the sacraments because the Bible did not mention them
Luther’s Teachings
Banned indulgences, confession, pilgrimages, and prayers to saints
Simplified the ritual of the mass and emphasized the sermon
Permitted the clergy to marry
These changes were adopted by the Lutheran churches set up by his followers
Luther’s Reforms Gain Support
Printing presses spread Luther’s writings throughout Germany and Scandinavia
By 1530, they were using a new name, Protestant, for those who “protested” papal authority
The “protests” were also expressed in some artists' work
Lucas Cranach painted portraits of Luther and other Protestant notables
Luther’s Reforms Gain Support
Cranach's work promoted the Protestant cause and its leaders
Luther’s ideas won widespread support
Clergy saw Luther’s reforms as the answer to corruption in the Church
Luther’s Reforms Gain Support
German princes embraced Lutheran beliefs:As a way to throw off the rule of both the Church and the Holy Roman emperor
Saw a chance to seize valuable Church property in their territories
Feelings of national loyalty and were tired of German money going to support churches and clergy in Italy
The Peasants Revolt
Peasants also took up the call for reform and hoped to gain Luther’s support
In 1524, a Peasants’ Revolt erupted across Germany, demanding an end to serfdom and changes to ease their harsh lives
Luther favored social order and respect for political authority and denounced it
The Peasants Revolt
With his support, nobles suppressed the rebellion, killing as many as 100,000 people and leaving thousands more homeless
The Peace of Augsburg
During the 1530s and 1540s, Charles V tried to force Lutheran princes back into the Catholic Church
After a number of brief wars, Charles and the princes reached a settlement
The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, allowed each prince to decide which religion—Catholic or Lutheran—would be followed in his lands
The Peace of Augsburg
Most northern German states chose Lutheranism
The southern German states remained largely Catholic
EXIT TICKET
Read the quote from the noted humanist Erasmus.
I consider as lovers of books not those who keep their books hidden in their store-chests and never handle them, but those who, by nightly as well as daily use thumb them, batter them, wear them out, who fill out all the margins with annotations of many kinds, and who prefer the marks of a fault they have erased to a neat copy full of faults.
—Desiderius Erasmus, The Correspondence of Erasmus: Letters (1484–1500)
After reading the quote, write a few sentences in response to these questions:
● How does the quotation show the impact of the printing press on how books came to be used?
● How does the quotation from Erasmus reflect the impact of the northern European Renaissance?