The Protestant Reformation

Unit Objectives To understand the causes of the split in Western Christianity To understand the underlying differences between Catholicism and Protestantism To understand the results and relevance of the Protestant Reformation on Western society

Holy Roman Empire in 1500 Located in modern day Germany Not a united nation but a patchwork of independent states Each State had its own Prince The Ruler of the Holy Roman Empire was Charles V (Catholic)

The Catholic Church in 1500 The Catholic Church was the most powerful institution in Europe Held the monopoly on information and education and owned a great deal of property People resented the wealth of the Church The Church and Clergy did not pay taxes The Church was corrupt!

The Catholic Church Headquarters = Rome Power of the Pope: Head of the Catholic Church Occupies God’s position on earth (above any earthly power) Infallible

What Catholics Believe The Seven Sacraments : Baptism Eucharist (mass/communion) Confirmation Confession Anointing of the Sick – Last rites Holy Orders – men to become priests Marriage

Height of Papal Corruption Who? Pope Leo X What did he do? Depleted Papal coffers Money needed for St. Peter’s reconstruction Solution: Sale of Church offices Sale of indulgences Pope Leo X with cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi by Raphael

Prior to the Reformation all Christians were Roman Catholic The Reformation was an attempt to REFORM the Catholic Church Martin Luther and others wanted to get rid of the corruption and restore people’s faith in the church, not start a separate church

Martin Luther Born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany Became a monk in 1505 Moved to Wittenberg, Germany in 1511 Troubled by the sale of indulgences

Luther’s Issues with the Catholic Church Luther had two major problems with the Catholic Church: Indulgences Justification Luther believed that the Bible was the ultimate authority - not the pope or clergy Of the seven sacraments only Baptism and Holy Communion were found in the Bible He also came to believe in justification through faith alone not faith and good works

What was an Indulgence? A Papal pardon for sins A lessening of the time a soul would have to spend in purgatory –Purgatory = a place where souls too impure to enter heaven atoned for sins committed during their lifetime According to Luther, indulgences had no basis in the Bible and the Pope had no authority to release souls from purgatory

Martin Luther’s Actions Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 His intent was to reform the Catholic Church, not create a separate one

How Did Word Spread So Quickly? Gutenberg’s Printing Press made it possible for Luther to spread his beliefs Copy of Luther’s 95 Theses from Gutenberg's Press

Reaction To Luther Gained support from people (including the princes in the HRE) Gained criticism from Church Millions converted

Luther’s Showdown with the Church Pope Leo X issued a Papal Bull of Excommunication –Papal Bull = Official document issued by the Pope Luther was ordered to recant (take back) his teachings Luther burned the Papal Bull Excommunicated! This behavior caused a conclusive and irrevocable break with Rome

The Diet of Worms - April 1521 Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, summoned Luther to a diet in the city of Worms –Diet = assembly or meeting of German princes Luther was asked again to recant – he still refused Charles V issued the Edict of Worms Luther at the Diet of Worms By Anton von Werner

Edict of Worms Declared Luther an outlaw It was a crime to give Luther shelter or food Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony hid Luther in his castle Spent his time translating the New Testament into German (Vernacular!) This spread his beliefs even further Greatly contributed to the development of the written German language

A New Name Lutherans started using the name “Protestant” for those who protested papal authority

The Peace of Augsburg 1555 The Protestant Reformation divided Germany politically Princes in Germany converted to Protestantism, ending authority of the Pope in their states Charles V, the Emperor of the HRE tried to force Princes to accept Catholicism again, with little success The Peace of Augsburg: Recognized Lutheranism as a legal religion A Prince could decide if his realm was to be Lutheran of Catholic

Timeline of the Early Reformation 1517: Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenburg church 1518: Zwingli gains control of Zurich 1521: Diet of Worms condemns Luther 1534: Henry VIII declared “Supreme head of the Church and Clergy of England” 1536: Calvin gains control of Geneva

Reformation in France: John Calvin-Calvinist Tradition Literal interpretation of the Bible Predestination Faith revealed by living a righteous life Expansion of the Protestant Movement

Predestination Calvin set forth the idea of Predestination –God decided at the beginning of time who would go to heaven after death and who would not Calvin set up a theocracy in Geneva, Switzerland in 1536 –Theocracy = government run by church leaders

Reformation in England Henry VIII: The Anglican Tradition Henry VIII – King of England Roman Catholic Opposed Luther’s beliefs Named ‘Defender of the Faith’ by Pope Leo X Reformer due to circumstance not personal beliefs

Henry VIII Needs a Divorce! Catholic Church does not permit divorce Marriage to Catherine of Aragon did not produce male heir only a girl - Mary Tudor Henry needed a male to preserve his throne Henry asked the Pope for an annulment so he could marry someone who could give him a male heir The Pope denied his request By 1534, Henry had created the Church of England and established his own supremacy over it

The King’s Affair By 1527, Henry was thoroughly enamored of Anne Bolyn, one of Catherine’s ladies in waiting. He determined to put Catherine aside and take Anne as his wife. This he could not do in Catholic England, however, without papal annulment of the marriage to Catherine. The year 1527 was also the year when soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire mutinied and sacked Rome. The reigning Pope Clement VII was at the time a prisoner of Charles V, who happened also to be Catherine’s nephew.

The Reformation Parliament When the king’s advisors could not obtain a papal annulment, they conceived of a plan to declare the king supreme in English spiritual affairs as he was in English temporal affairs. In 1529, Parliament convened for what would be a seven-year session that earned it the title the “Reformation Parliament.”

Head of the Church of England In January 1531, the Convocation (a legislative assembly representing the English clergy) publicly recognized Henry as Head of the Church in England “as far as the law of Christ allows.”

Marriage to Anne Boleyn In January 1533, Henry wed the pregnant Anne Boleyn, with Thomas Cranmer officiating.

King the Highest Court of Appeal In February Parliament made the King the Highest Court of Appeal for all English subjects.

Invalidation of First Marriage In March Cranmer became archbishop of Canterbury and led the Convocation in invalidating the King’s marriage to Catherine.

Ended Payments to Rome/Church Appointments In Parliament ended all payments by the English clergy and laity to Rome and gave Henry sole jurisdiction over high ecclesiastical appointments.

Acts of Succession & Supremacy The Act of Succession in the same year made Anne Boleyn’s children legitimate heirs to the throne and the Act of Supremacy declared Henry “the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England. When Thomas More and John fisher, Bishop of Rochester, refused to recognize the Act of Succession and the Act of Supremacy, Henry had them executed, making clear his determination to have his way regardless of the cost.

Dissolution of the Monasteries In Parliament dissolved England’s monasteries and convents.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII To satisfy his desires and to secure a male heir, Henry married six times: –His marriage to CATHERINE OF ARAGON was annulled –In 1536, ANNE BOLEYN was executed for alleged treason and adultery and her daughter Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. –JANE SEYMOUR died in 1537 shortly after giving birth to the future Edward VI. –Henry wed ANNE OF CLEVES sight unseen on the advice of Cromwell, the purpose being to create by the marriage an alliance with the Protestant princes. The marriage was annulled by Parliament and Cromwell was dismissed and eventually executed. –CATHERINE HOWARD was beheaded for adultery in –Henry’s last wife, CATHERINE PARR, a patron of humanists and reformers, survived him.

Religious Conservatism Despite the break with Rome, Henry remained decidedly conservative in his religious beliefs. With the TEN ARTICLES of 1536, he made only mild concessions to Protestant tenets, otherwise maintaining Catholic doctrine in a country filled with Protestant sentiments. Despite his many wives and amorous adventures, Henry absolutely FORBADE THE ENGLISH CLERGY TO MARRY and threatened any clergy who were caught twice in concubinage with execution.

Six Articles Angered by the growing popularity of Protestant views, even among his chief advisers, Henry struck directly at them in the Six Articles of These articles: –Reaffirmed Transubstantiation. –Denied the Eucharistic cup to the laity. –Declared celibate vows inviolable. –Provided for private masses. –Ordered the continuation of auricular confession.

Edward VI ( ) When Henry died, his son and successor, Edward VI, was only ten years old. Under the regencies of the duke of Somerset and the duke of Northumberland, England fully enacted the Protestant Reformation. –During Somerset’s regency, Henry’s Six Articles and laws against heresy were repealed and clerical marriage and communion with cup were sanctioned. –In 1547, the chantries, places where endowed masses had traditionally been said for the dead, were dissolved. –In 1549, the Act Of Uniformity imposed Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer on all English churches. –Images and altars were removed from the churches in –The Second Act Of Uniformity, passed in 1552, imposed a revised edition of the Book of Common Prayer on all English churches. –A Forty-Two-Article Confession of Faith, also written by Thomas Cranmer, was adopted, setting forth a moderate Protestant doctrine.: It taught justification by faith and the Supremacy of Holy Scripture. It denied transubstantiation (although not real presence). It recognized only two sacraments

Mary I ( ) In 1533, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter succeeded Edward (who had died in his teens) to the English throne as Mary I and proceeded to restore Catholic doctrine and practice.

Elizabeth I ( ) It was not until the reign of Anne Boleyn’s daughter, Elizabeth I, that a lasting religious settlement was worked out in England. Elizabeth merged a centralized Episcopal system, which she firmly controlled, with broadly defined Protestant doctrine and traditional Catholic ritual.

Supreme Governor –In 1559, an Act of Supremacy passed parliament, repealing all the anti-Protestant legislation of Mary Tudor and asserting Elizabeth’s right as “supreme governor” over both spiritual and temporal affairs.

Act of Uniformity –In the same year, the Act of Uniformity mandated a revised version of the second Book of Common Prayer for every English parish.

Thirty-Nine Articles –In 1563, the issuance of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, made a moderate Protestantism the official religion within the Church of England.

Branches of Christianity CHRISTIANITY Roman Catholicism Eastern Orthodox Protestant Lutheran Martin Luther Calvinist John Calvin Anglican Henry VIII Puritan Huguenots Presbyterian

The Protestant Reformation Map

Results In the end reformers like Luther established their own non-Catholic traditions The Reformation caused a permanent split in Christianity with the formation of new Protestant faiths