Reformation and Counter Reformation Europe 1500s

Protestant Reformation Catholic church seen as too powerful and corrupt. Europeans attempt to reform the church.

Causes of the Reformation Renaissance Humanism leads to a questioning of (INQUIRY) church authority Increased faith in human reason Nation – States Strong monarchs increased power by supporting reformers of the church and grabbing the Church’s previous power Problems in the church Church leaders acting like kings (too rich and powerful) Selling indulgences (pay to have sins forgiven) Increased fees for marriages and baptisms

Martin Luther German monk Angered by churches selling indulgences 1517 writes 95 Thesis Arguments against sale of indulgences Sparks Protestant Reformation (break away from Catholic Church) Leads to formation of many new branches of Christianity

People only reach Heaven through faith in God Pope cannot grant pardons for sins Bible is only source of religious truth Excommunicated (kicked out of Church) for actions Edict of Worms forbids anyone to provide Luther with food or shelter Finds shelter in Saxony where he translates New Testament into German Printing press helps spread his ideas through Northern Europe and Scandinavia Followers called Lutherans – later called Protestants Question the Popes authority

John Calvin French priest People are born sinners Heaven reached only through faith in God

Followers of Calvinism lived strict, frugal, disciplined lives Predestination God predetermines who will reach salvation Followers of Calvinism lived strict, frugal, disciplined lives Calvinism spreads to Germany, France, Scotland, England

Counter-Reformation Pope Paul III Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation Two main goals Strengthen the Catholic Church Stop Catholic conversions to Protestantism (Luther’s movement)

Council of Trent Council of Trent 1545 - 1563 Guided by Pope Paul III End abuses in church Selling indulgences Set up schools to educate clergy

Jesuit Society Society of Jesus Founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1530s Emphasize spiritual and moral discipline and strict obedience to Catholic Church Defenders of Catholicism Missionaries spread Catholicism to Asia, Africa, and Americas

Ignatius of Loyola Called for return to strictest and most uncompromising obedience to the authority of the church and church hierarchy “I will believe that the white that I see is black if the hierarchical Church so defines it.” Obedience to church could be achieved by learning “self-mastery” which taught people to deny themselves completely. Membership of Jesuit society grew from 10 people to over 15,000 in less than a century.

Effects of the Protestant Reformation Formation of Protestant Churches Religious and political divisions Loss of religious unity in Western Europe Political divisions as rulers choose religion for nation Religious conflicts 1500s religious civil wars in Germany and France Spanish Catholics vs. English Protestants Thirty Years War in European states 1600’s Women’s attempt at gaining more rights failed… housewives Anti-Semitism Restrictions by Protestants and Catholics Jews expelled from homes to separate neighborhoods or murdered Witch Hunts lead to the deaths of thousands