Religion in Europe; 1300-1750The Middle Ages- Age of EnlightenmentGladys Mendieta, Rubicel Trejo, Long Vu, Deja Williams, Jaime Lujan

Middle Ages (1300-1453)

Overpopulation+Economic Depression+Famine+Bad Health= vulnerable European population= rapid spread of “The Black Death”

Millions were dying, and people were in fear so,

Europe was gradually Christianized. How? People thought of the plague as punishment for their sins so they turned to penance

Flagellants: religious fanatics who beat themselves in ritual penance in the belief that it would bring divine help.

Europe became fervently religious.

Unam Sanctam: statement by Pope Boniface of papal power where he declared royal, temporal authority to be “subject” to the spiritual power of the church

Middle Ages contd.

1309 Pope Clement moved papacy to Avignon= Avignon Papacy (1309-1377)• Short on money since no longer in Rome so expanded papal taxes, and began practice of selling

indulgences= pardons for unrepented sins. Primary revenue source for Catholic church for years• Gave reformers ammunition against the Church years later…

Early Protestant critics: Lollards; England; followers of John Wycliffe (accused of Donatism); questioned supremacy & privileges of the pope and Church. Hussites; Bohemia; followers of John Huss; questioned Catholic teachings about Eucharist

Great Schism (1378-1417)= appearance of 2, at times 3, rival popes b/w 1378 & 1415; b/w Avignon and Rome

Conciliar Movement (to 1449)= restored papal prestige, devolving of greater religious responsibility onto the laity and secular gov’ts

Renaissance (1375-1527)

Still very religious, but instead of seeing only fault and sin in humans, embraced the nature of humanity, humanism

Platonism: flattering view of human nature The Creation of Adam

Very wealthy, ambitious popes with extravagant lifestyle

Printing press; set stage for Reformation; people not in upper-class had access to original biblical text because it was able to be printed fairly quickly

Erasmus: made clear many loyal Catholics wanted major reforms in church long before Reformation

Voyages of discovery began to spread Christianity in the world such as the Spanish in Mexico, Peru, etc.

The Age of Reformation

Diet of Worms (1521); German nobility presented emperor with list of “oppressive [church] burdens and abuses”

Reasons: secular pretensions of papacy, dry teaching of Scholastic theologians, and laity & clerics sought a more heartfelt religious policy, urban laypeople became increasingly knowledgeable about world around them (books widely available, many had traveled as soldiers, traders, pilgrims, etc.)

Attack on INDULGENCES; John Tetzel famous indulgence preacher

Martin Luther: perhaps most influential reformer. Argued it was unbiblical to treat works as contributing to one’s eternal salvation, something only God could grant Good works were expected, not simply because they earned salvation

Luther then posted his 95 theses against indulgences (1517)…then got excommunicated 6. The pope himself cannot remit guilt, but only declare and confirm that it has been remitted by God; or, at most, he can

remit it in cases reserved to his discretion. Except for these cases, the guilt remains untouched.

Reformation contd.

Zwingli initiated Swiss reformation; ex. petitioned for end to clerical celibacy

Anabaptists & Radical Protestants; devout fundamentalist Protestants who desired a faster implementation of Apostolic Christianity.

John Calvin; Calvinists believed strongly in divine predestination

Diet of Augsburg= assembly of Protestant and Catholic representatives to address growing religious division and ordered all Lutherans to revert to Catholicism, but failed. Lutherans responded w/ Augsburg Confession

Peace of Augsburg; ruler of land could determine its religion

English Reformation: King Henry VIII demanded divorce from wife Catherine from pope but pope denied request many times so Henry made himself head of his own church, Church of England, in order to divorce and remarry to have male heir

Catholic Reform/Counter-Reformation; Jesuits, Council of Trent; stopped sale of indulgences, reassessed behavior of clergy

Age of Religious Wars (1562-1648)

Big struggle b/w Calvinists and Catholics

Catholic counter-reformation sponsored hierarchy in Church, Pope-parish priest

Used baroque art= heavy and dramatic ornamentation

French Wars of Religion (1562-1598); civil war b/w Huguenots (French Protestants) and Catholics

Edict of Nantes; brought religious settlement b/w France and Spain

Religious Wars contd.

Netherlands; Spain attempted to impose Catholicism on predominantly Protestant country=revolt

England; Mary I=executed Protestants. Elizabeth I= didn’t side with extreme Catholics or Protestants, neutral.

Thirty Years’ War (1618-148); most destructive war of religion. By end, peace terms shaped map of northern Europe

Ended by Treaty of Westphalia; established again ruler of land determined official religion of their land

Absolutism

Monarchs had absolute power

Important source of royal authority, Divine Right= cited examples of Old Testament rulers divinely appointed by and answerable only to God; only God could judge King

Bishop Bossuet defending Diving Right of Kings: “The royal power is absolute…The prince need render account of his acts to no one. I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment”

Sixteenth & Seventeenth century thinkers

Scientific Revolution; change in scientific view and universe

Some thinkers controversial such as Galileo with his ideas and the Catholic church

John Locke believed in toleration

English continued superstition and turned to witch hunts

“All mankind... being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions.”

High Fashion Male and Female Trendsetters