REFORMATION Martin Luther and the birth of Protestantism

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE (HRE) The Holy Roman Empire, is a group of territories united under the Holy Roman Emperor The region was never truly unified the way the French Empire would become Instead it was broken down into smaller regions run by princes The predominant religion was Roman Catholic Which means the region was run with the approval of the Pope Charles V is the Emperor during the time we will be studying

HRE

CAUSES OF THE REFORMATION With the innovation of the Printing Press, literacy rates increased (what does that mean again??) People are starting to read the Bible for themselves, and questioning the Pope The rich merchants in the north hated paying a tithe (tax) to the church

CAUSES OF THE REFORMATION As the population of Europe became more educated and moved to a more Secular life style, problems in the Catholic Church started to surface Popes were spending an obscene amount of money on themselves Monks can’t teach – they are very unprofessional and unethical Popes are also unethical – having BABIES!!!

FIRST REFORMERS Two of the first notable reformers of the Catholic Church were John Wycliffe and Jan Huss John Wycliffe was from England and was very outspoken against the Pope and believed in predestination Jan Huss was from Bohemia and was outspoken against the sale of indulgences and the Crusades Was burned at the stake for Heresy against the Catholic Church

MARTIN LUTHER CHALLENGES THE CHURCH Who is Martin Luther ? No he is not a Civil Rights activist! When Martin Luther was 21 he thought he was going to die and made a promise that he would become a Monk if he survived When Luther entered the monastery, he felt inadequate and sinful. It was not until he realized that faith alone was the key to salvation that he was at peace

WHAT WAS LUTHER MAD ABOUT? Once Martin Luther realized the key to salvation was in your faith and devotion to God, he just wanted to be a good Christian and teach scripture In 1517 Luther decided to take a stand against a Friar who was selling Indulgences and representing them incorrectly An Indulgence is a pardon that is sold to release a sinner from performing a penalty The Friar was telling people that by buying his indulgences, the people would be welcomed into Heaven!

WHAT DID LUTHER DO? Luther decided the best way to speak out against this Friar would be to write what would become known as the 95 Theses Luther posted his 95 Theses on the back of a church door (the same church where that silly Friar preached!) Luther did not want to be a revolutionary and certainly didn’t want to form his own church He only wanted to spark discussion and debate

SPREAD OF LUTHER’S IDEAS

LUTHER’S MAJOR IDEAS 1.Salvation can only be won through faith in God’s forgiveness. Faith and “good works” are essential. 2.All church teachings should be based on the Bible (scripture). The Pope and the church are false authorities. 3.All people with faith are equal. Priests are not needed to interpret the Bible.

WHAT DID THE POPE DO? After hearing about Luther’s 95 theses, the Pope threatened to excommunicate him. Is this a hollow threat? The pope sent a letter to Luther threatening to excommunicate him What do you think Luther did with it? Even though Luther was officially excommunicated from the Catholic Church, people still followed his ideas.

WHAT DID THE HR EMPEROR DO? HR EMPEROR = THE KING WHERE LUTHER LIVES After Luther was excommunicated by the Pope, the HR Emperor Charles V, who was very opposed to Luther, summoned him to a trial in the town of Worms (vawrmz) in 1521 Luther said NO! I won’t come! HRE Charles V issued the Edict of Worms saying Luther was a heretic and enemy of the HRE

WHAT DID THE HR EMPEROR DO? HR EMPEROR = THE KING WHERE LUTHER LIVES A prince within the HRE decided to protect Luther from the HR Emperor This sparked a bloody civil war which ended with the Peace of Augsburg This is significant because: Religion within the HRE would now be chosen by the local Prince, instead of the HR Emperor This event signifies the beginning of Lutheranism

WHAT’S GOING ON IN LUTHER’S PERSONAL LIFE? Luther had a wife, and she played a crucial behind the scenes role in the reformation Kathrina von Bora was sent to a convent at the age of ten and was a nun when she heard about Luther. She ran away from the convent and married Luther Kathrina and Luther had the model marriage for Lutherans “God’s highest gift on earth is a pious, cheerful, God-fearing, home-keeping wife.”

VIDEO TIME Martin Luther