Pamphlets as Insight into Popular Thought

Discuss Politics & Media Why do popular governments rely on freedom of speech? Why did monarchies suppress many forms of writing? How did censorship influence writing?

Discuss Politics and Media How influential was the media in the recent election? What do you make of this headline: Khizr Khan Believes Sharia Trumps the Constitution How do we deal with inaccuracy in the media

Do you obtain your news from links shared through social media Frequently Sometimes Rarely Never

What sources most directly influence your understanding of the world? Social media Online news outlets Print journalism Friends Something else

What measures did the English monarchs take to control print?

How did the English government censor publications The Court of Star Chamber prosecuted anyone who printed news about the governance of the realm The monarchy gave a printing monopoly to the stationers guild Punishments for publishing without a license included the pillory and even the severing of limbs The monarchy produced lists of prohibited books beginning in 1529

What were some of the forms of publication circulating in the 1640s What were some of the forms of publication circulating in the 1640s? Why is the period from 1649-1660 called the interregnum?

Forms of Publications Books Ballads Almanacs Newspapers Pamphlets & Chapbooks

Chapbooks, Pamphlets, Broadsides

Why did this study choose to focus on pamphlets instead of books?

Identify the factors that encouraged a proliferation of pamphlets 1640-1660 Widespread thirst for knowledge about the Civil Wars (1642-1648) Rising literacy rates Small handpresses were difficult to suppress During the 1640s the government was preoccupied with the civil wars

Confessional Map of Western Christendom c. 1560

Luther & The Reformation Reaction against indulgences Questioning the practices the medieval Church had developed to sustain its finances Based on deep religious conviction Not really progressive but tended to be very conservative

Henry VIII In Defense of the Seven Sacraments 1521 Act of Supremacy 1534

Thomas Cromwell Involved in suppression of monasteries in 1520s Architect of Henry’s break with Rome: Act of supremacy (1534)

Edward, Prince of Wales 1539

Edward VI r. 1547-1554 ushered in a more radical form of Protestantism

Reliquaries Vessels containing sacred relics Often ornate Often objects of veneration Detested by reformers as opposed to Second commandment

Calvinist Worship

Puritans

Queen Mary I r. 1553-1558 returned England to Catholicism

Phillip II King of Spain r. 1556-1598 sought to destroy Protestantism

Philip was unpopular with his English subjects

Queen Elizabeth 1558-1603

The Netherlands 1555

Course of the Spanish Armada 1588

James I Son of Mary Stuart Ruled England 1603-25 Wrote Concerning the Divine Right of Kings His favorite, the Duke of Buckingham undermined his popularity Engaged in ideological quarrel with Sir Edward Coke over prerogative courts

Puritans

Charles I Maintained a lifelong devotion to the divine right of kings Even his advocates considered him less than brilliant and lacking people skills By Van Dyck, 1635

Henrietta Maria Catholic Queen to Charles I

Archbishop William Laud 1633-45

The Reformation Background Erasmus and Northern Humanism Luther Early positions The 95 Theses The Diet of Worms Luther’s Theological Positions Augsburg Confession English Reformation Summary

Background increasing piety increased access to religious texts corruption and hypocrisy of the Church decline of papal prestige Increased intellectual vigor, sparked by humanism, Bible reading, and less deference to authority

Erasmus and Northern Humanism Around 1500 Erasmus had gained a reputation as one of the leading intellectuals in Europe He mastered Greek and Latin and had translated the New Testament from the ancient Greek into Latin, thereby eliminating many of the errors ingrained in the Latin Vulgate Bible since the 4th century CE He had been educated in the humanist rather than the scholastic tradition; like other humanists, such as Lorenzo Valla, he believed that the Church could be reformed internally by returning to a purer, more ancient form of Christianity

Erasmus and Northern Humanism The northern humanists were extremely devout They were not calling for a break with the institutional church Instead they hoped to reform the church As the leading Northern humanist, Erasmus developed what he called the Philosophy of Christ, which emphasized the Sermon on the Mount as the essential kernel of Christian ethics Erasmus was a prolific letter writer and was in close contact with many intellectuals and Church leaders throughout Europe including Luther and Pope Leo X

Luther’s Early Life Although his father wanted him to be a lawyer, Luther pursued his passionate desire to become a monk after he was nearly killed by lightening He joined the Augustinian canons and became obsessed with contemplating his own sinfulness After several years of self flagellation, Luther became obsessed that he was unworthy to perform the sacrament of the Eucharist After receiving encouragement from his superiors to pursue his intellectual talents, he became a renowned biblical scholar

The 95 Theses Sparked by the Dominican Friar, Johan Tetzel, and his selling of indulgences in order to finance the construction of St. Peter’s in Rome Nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral on October 31, 1517 Written in Latin, the document outlined Luther’s criticism of indulgences Questioned the Pope’s ability to remit sins Informed by traditional Christian approach to the sacrament of penance Confession, contrition, and satisfaction (penance)

Luther’s Theological Positions Following the 95 Theses Luther published his ideas in a series of pamphlets The Babylonian Captivity of the Church Luther attacked the efficacy of the seven sacraments for obtaining salvation and claimed that the Church was holding the gospel hostage Influenced by nominalist philosophy, which argued that God’s majesty and power are beyond human comprehension, Luther developed a theory of salvation that emphasized faith: Sola Fide, the source of grace This doctrine emphasized that salvation was entirely in God’s hands He also elaborated a doctrine of authority that directly challenged the papacy: Sola Scriptura, the Bible alone is the source of authority

Implication of Luther’s positions Theological Issues Grace vs. Good works Predestination vs. will Sacraments Transubstantiation Luther - no magic but God is really present Zwingli – God is not present; Last Supper commemorated Calvin – God is spiritually present Baptism – Luther maintained that there is a Biblical precedent for baptism and argued for the retention of this practice Marriage – Luther embraced marriage and married a nun, Katerina von Hutten

The Diet of Worms, 1521 The Medici Pope Leo X had misjudged the significance of Luther’s challenge and failed to take decisive action until 1520 when he excommunicated Luther By then Luther’s ideas had ignited a controversy that raged throughout the Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V gathered the representative assembly of the Holy Roman Empire, the Diet, to discuss the Lutheran controversy During the Diet Luther refused to submit to the authority of the Pope and was proclaimed an outlaw by the Emperor Luther was “kidnapped” from the Diet by Frederick of Saxony and placed under his protection During the next few years, Luther translated the Bible into German

The Spread of Lutheran Ideas During the 1520s hundreds of thousands of printed pamphlets spread Luther’s ideas throughout Europe Many of his ideas were not fully formed during this period; rumors of his teachings often preceded and surpassed his writings in influence; numerous variations of Christian doctrine spread during this period Generally the 1520s were a period of radical religious unrest and it was not until 1530 that Luther formally expressed his theology in the Augsburg Confession

The Augsburg Confession, 1530 Formal declaration of Lutheran ideas, written by Luther’s aide Philip Melanchthon Endorsed by several princes within the Empire Included 28 articles of faith 21 reaffirmed Catholic doctrines 7 criticized Catholic practices related to monasticism, clerical celibacy, mandatory confession, and others Intended to defend Lutherans from rumors misrepresentations of their beliefs and to separate them from the radical sects spreading across the Empire A reply from the Church accepted several articles without qualification while questioning others Later influenced the Anglican and Methodist declarations of faith

The English Reformation Motivated by political necessity rather than theological opposition Henry VIII assumed the position as head of the Church of England in order to secure the annulment of his marriage from Catherine of Aragon In 1534 Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy which declared Henry the head of the English Church In contrast to the Continent where religious sects proliferated, the Church of England adopted theological changes very gradually in the decades following the Act of Supremacy Critics of this gradual change become known as Puritans

Summary Between 1517 and 1530, Luther revolutionized attitudes toward the Church in the HRE and beyond Luther’s intention was to reform not to undermine Western Christendom His influence was most pronounced in northern Europe Sensing common dissatisfaction with the ecclesiastical hierarchy, Luther attacked those practices of the Church that lacked Biblical precedent Unlike Hus before him, he never alienated his political supporters

Summary By 1530 the Lutherans had established their own Church based on both a separate theology and a group of princes who were willing to provide political support The Augsburg Confession provided the basis for over 100 years of political conflict and social unrest throughout the Empire Similar to the Protestant princes, England also proclaimed its break with Rome in 1534; however, the English break did not initiate a new theological perspective