Reformation Questions 1.What caused an upset which led to the Great Schism? 2.Where were the two centers of power for the church? 3.Why did people dislike the Church? 4.Who were the Protestants? 5.Name 3 Reformers? 6.What led Martin Luther to write the Ninety-Five Theses? 7.What became a good method to spreading Luther’s Ideas? Why? 8.Why was there a peasant revolt in the 1500s? 9.Who founded Calvinism? 10.Who started the Church of England? 11.What was the Counter Reformation, Jesuits, and the Inquisition?

Trouble for the Catholic Church  In the 1300s and 1400s, many followers disagreed with the catholic church.  Many people left the church.  From Pope Clement V decided to move the Roman Catholic Government from Rome, Italy to Avignon, France.  This caused a great upset which led to the Great Schism.

The Great Schism  In 1305, the French king used to his power to elect Clement V as the pope.  2 years later Clement V moves the center of the church to Avignon.  After the move most popes were French.  This made Europeans feel the French king was controlling the pope.  This resulted in a struggle for control of the church.

A Struggle for Power  The church developed two centers of power-Avignon and Rome.  In 1378, the two sides split and elected different popes. This split became known as the Great Schism.  This caused confusion and doubt among Christians and weakened the church.  In 1414, the emperor summoned an end to the schism. Church officials removed both popes and elected Pope Martin V.

Criticism of the Church  Over the centuries, the medieval church had become an enormous institution.  The church owned one-third of all the land in Europe.  Church leaders needed huge sums of money to maintain the institution.  People were anger of how the church earned and spent its money.

A Corrupt Church  Many people disliked paying taxes to the church and they were upset that the church paid no taxes.  Reformers also objected the sale of indulgences.  An indulgence is a relaxation of earthly penalty for sin. However, sometimes they were sold as a pardon for sin. People bought these thinking they could avoid punishment in the after life and buy their way into heaven.

Reformers Take a Stand  During the 4 th and 15 th century a number of reformers like Martin Luther, took a stand against the church.  John Wycliffe, a philosopher and priest questioned the pope’s right to levy taxes and appoint church officials.  Dutch priest and scholar, Desiderius Erasmus, urged people to pursue a true Christian faith.

Luther Confronts the Church  Martin Luther saw the church as a corruption of the original Christian faith. His ideas represented the new reform movement.  He was born in Germany and was going to study law when in 1515, he was struck by lightening.  Fearing for his life he vowed to become a monk. He felt that he was a sinner and was punished.  He believed that people could be saved only if they had faith in Christ. As a result, he questioned that idea that salvation could be won through good works.

Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses  Luther’s ideas led to conflict in the church. The conflict began in 1517, Wittenberg, Germany.  Church officials were selling indulgences to Finance St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. Luther disapproved and wrote out all his disputes with the church in his ninety-five theses.  The Theses were ideas that Luther wanted to debate.  These included: The Bible as the only source of God, People don’t need the clergy to interpret the Bible, salvation can be gained only through faith.

Ninety-Five Theses  In 1529, German princes who remained loyal to the church agreed to unite against Luther.  Princes who support him signed a protest against the agreement.  The protest earned them the name Protestants.  Eventually, Protestant became the name for Christians who broke with the Catholic Church.  Protestants use the term Reformation to describe the movement of opposition to the Christian Church.

Luther’s Ideas Spread  Luther’s ideas spread with priests who preached his message in their churches.  Churchgoers talked about it in the streets and universities.  Merchants spread Luther’s ideas along the trade routes.  The printed word also became an effective method for spreading Luther’s ideas.

The Printed Word  The printed word became an effective method for spreading ideas because:  The printing process was cheaper.  More people could read  Bibles were printed in local languages.  People could interpret the bible for themselves and develop their own ideas which challenged the authority of the church.

The Peasants Revolt  Peasants during the 1500s, wanted better living conditions and wages.  Peasants began to use Luther’s ideas to justify revolts.  Luther condemned both the peasants for the violent nature of the revolts and the nobility for their disregard for the peasants.  In 1521, Charles V made Luther an outlaw but too many people supported Luther and a peace treaty was signed called the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.

The Reformation Grows  Luther believed the bible was the only source of religious truth, people read the bible in different ways.  This led to many different interpretations.  John Calvin was a French reformer and his interpretation of the bible led to a type of Protestantism called Calvinism.

Calvinism  John Calvin argued that Christians could do nothing to earn salvation. God had chosen people for salvation even before they are born.  This idea is called predestination. If people are condemned there is nothing they can do about it.  Calvin became an important leader Calvinism and of the Protestant Revolution.

The Church of England  The Reformation in England was different than the rest of Europe.  It started with King Henry VIII wanting a divorce from his wife, but the pope would not permit it.  As a result, Henry refused to recognize the Catholic church and he founded the Church of England. (also called the Anglican Church.)  It kept the Catholic beliefs but rejected the pope.

The Counter Reformation  The Catholic church began new policies to stop the spread of Protestantism called the Counter Reformation.  The Council of Trent met to reform and define the Catholic belief system.  They wanted to show how the Catholic church and Protestantism differed.

The Jesuits  A new religious order of the Society of Jesus or Jesuits.  The Spaniard, Ignatius of Loyola formed the Jesuits in the 1500s.  The Jesuits were more like the military than a religious order.  They learned obedience and discipline.  Their education was based on a balance of faith and reason.

The Inquisition  The Inquisition was a court that established to investigate people “who wander away from the way of the lord and the Catholic faith.”  Church officials used intimidation and sometimes torture to get people to confess their sins-including that of being Protestant.  They also burnt any forbidden books which included the Protestant Bible.

The Expansion of Christianity  During the 16 th century the Catholic Church sent missionaries to spread the faith all throughout the world and convert people to the church.  The Protestants tried to send missionaries as well but the Catholic church was more successful.  The religious geography of the world had a great impact on the Americas religious landscape.  Protestants' new practices of self-government may have helped the development of the democratic practices.