The Reformation

Modern Devotion

Religious movement of late 15th century Low Countries

Advocates more individualist approach toward religion

Influences Erasmus and paves the way for Luther

Thomas a Kempis writes their philosophy in Imitation of Christ

William of Ockham

1st Protestant

Calls for separation of church & state

Goes against Pope on issue of poverty and prosperity for Franciscan order

Calls Pope a heretic

John Wycliffe

Forerunner of Luther, Wycliffe criticizes the church over luxuries and indulgences

Translates the Bible into English

His followers are the Lollards

Benefice System-

Lands and its income to the priest

This is the compensation for the services the priest provides

Becomes part of the Feudal system

Some church officials would have multiple benefice

Church Abuses

• Church in Worldly affairs

• Wars to protect Papal States from Secular rulers

• Church also wanted to expand its own interests

Sixtus IV

Innocent VIII

Pope Julius II the Warrior

Pope

Alexander VI the Borgia

Pope

The Medici Popes

Leo XClement

VII

Indulgences• “the lessening of time in purgatory”• Usually granted for good deeds• Sold for money-pay for St. Peter’s• Used Treasury of Merit stores of extra merit from saints that could be given away in indulgences

Martin Luther• Wittenberg, Germany

• Archbishop Albert of Mainz pushes indulgences, he gets a cut

• 95 Theses

Firestorm• Luther does not recant-calls for

rejection of Rome

• Excommunicated by Pope Leo X

• Charles V labels him an outlaw

Frederick the Wise of Saxony

Protects Luther from the Pope and the HRE

Teachings• All Christians equal before God

• Rejects authority of the Pope

• Bans indulgences, confession, pilgrimages and prayers to saints.

• Permits Clergy to marry and simplifies the services – no Latin

• Believes in justification of faith rather than acts

Protestants• Luther’s writing spreads

• 1530 called Protestants

• Northern German princes see Luther as an excuse to throw off Pope and HRE

Charles V shifts attention in 1547 and tries to force conversion back to Catholic

Has some victories but no success in changing the people

Peace of Augsberg

Cuius regio eius religio

• 1555 each Prince could decide religion

• Many in the North- Lutheran

• Many in the South- Catholic

Ulrich Zwingli

Contemporary of Luther

Reforms church in Zurich but rejects all sacraments

Feels communion is just symbolic

Says he will not follow Church reading but follow Erasmus’s New Testament from A to Z

War breaks out between Protestants and Catholics

Zwingli wounded in battle, is capture, executed, quartered, burnt and his ashes scattered to the wind

Why does Luther succeed?

*attacks corrupt Church practices and Rome

Popular with common people and Germans

Groups willing to join a Reformation:

•Guilds with a history of opposition to authority

•Cities or regions who felt bullied by local or national authority

*Works out a symbiotic relationship with rulers

They see opportunity to strike against the HRE and the Church to gain more power

Luther knows he needs support of political authority to keep changes in place

Luther willing to allow local prince the authority to have control over the church in their territory

Luther urges the people to obey their ruler

Peasant Revolt1524-25

Starts as protest against feudal duties to lords

Look at ideas of Luther and especially the Anabaptists, who want to separate from civil government

Luther supports rulers against the peasants saying the Bible does not say anything about earthly justice

Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s

About 75,000 are killed putting down the revolt

Causes loss of popularity for Luther and will be a factor in the rise of new protestant sects

Socially, Luther allows clergy to marry – he marries former nun Katharina von Bora

While Protestants said marriage was not a sacrament, the wife was still to be cheerfully obedient to her husband

Since it was believed that spouses should support each other and marriage was created by God, a bad marriage threatened the souls of the individuals and the community – therefore divorce would be allowed

Unlike the Catholic Church

John Calvin

Born in France

Asked to come to Geneva to reform city

Wants to establish a Christian community ruled by God

Where Calvin differs from Luther:

•Predestination

•Refuses to subordinate Church to State – Church is the State

Where is Calvinism found:

Switzerland

France (Huegenots)

Scotland (Presbyterians)

Common Protestant beliefs:

•Reject papal authority•Demystify clergy•Service not in Latin•No monks, friars or nuns•Reduce sacraments

Henry VIII becomes king of England

Marries Catherine of Aragon

Have 2 sons who die in first 1-2 months

One daughter who lives - Mary

Henry VIII

Catherine of Aragon

Henry wants new wife so he can have a son

Asks Pope foe annulment

Leviticus – if you marry your brother’s wife, you will be childless

Catherine first married to Henry’s older brother Arthur

Catherine says marriage never consummated

Catherine is the aunt of Charles V

Henry has girlfriend: Anne Boleyn

Anne is pregnant so a change must be made quick!

Henry removes papal authority and sets up Church of England

Act of Supremacy makes the monarch the head of the Church

Henry has the right to make ecclesiastical law

Thomas More Chancellor resigns then executed

Under advice of Chief Minister Thomas Cromwell, Henry seizes monastic lands in England

Much of these he sells to upper class to enrich the treasury

Anne has daughter Elizabeth but no sons

Enemies of the Boleyn family spread rumors about Anne

Several men including her brother are arrested and later Anne is charged with adultery

Henry already has another woman picked out

On the day Anne is beheaded, Henry marries Jane Seymour

Jane has a son - Edward

And dies

#4 Anne of Cleeves

Catherine Howard

#6 Catherine Parr

Henry

Because this is a political issue and not a philosophical, the Church of England is not radically different from the Catholic Church at first:

Keeps celibacy for priests and confession

Under Henry’s son Edward VI, who rules for 6 years Church of England loses much of it Catholic influences

1549: Book of Common Prayer

Act of Uniformity – Book of Common Prayer official and only form of worship

Edward dies and daughter #1, Mary takes over

Mary is Catholic and eliminates laws passed by father and step brother

Bloody Mary

Elizabethan Settlement

• 1558 Mary Dies

• 25 year old Elizabeth daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn

By this point there is a wide variety of positions on religion

Some want to stay catholic

Extreme Protestant want to get as far from Catholic as possible – to purify the Church

Elizabeth takes a middle course

Anglican Church is official, but she will not force anyone to convert

Services are in English, clergy can marry and no monasteries

Church is hierarchal, services are elaborate and clergy wears robes

Catholic Reform• Pope Paul III

• Council of Trent 1545 reaffirmed traditional Catholic beliefs

• Empowers the Inquisition to fight the Protestants

Jesuits• 1540- Society of Jesus

• Ignatius Loyola- Order of strict training

• Spread the Catholic faith

Social Significance of the Reformation

•Clergy down by 2/3•Holidays down by 1/3•Services held in the venacular

Women

Favoring clerical marriage changes Medieval trend to degrade women

Protestants promote sacredness of home and family

Women get some rights of divorce and remarriage

Allowed some education so they can read the Bible

Family Life

From 1500-1800 marriage latermen mid to late 20’swomen early to mid 20’s

Took longer to be financially ready

20% of women never marry15% adult women widows

Average family 6-7 births

2-4 survive to adulthood

Spanish Literature

Influenced by:

•Traditional Catholic teachings•Piety of Ferdinand and Isabella•Medieval values – chivalry

Makes Spanish lit less modern than in England and France

Miguel De Cervantes

While in prison writes Don Quixote

Satire on cult of chivalry but not chivalry itself