PROTESTANT REFORMATION BY: KENNY SUYKRY

GEOGRAPHY The Protestant Reformation was centered in Western Europe, with Germany being one of the main battlegrounds. The close proximity of Germany to Italy, the home of Catholicism, made it an area riddled with religious conflict, especially when the idea of Protestantism came into play. The Protestant Reformation also affected Switzerland, France, England, Netherlands, Ireland, and Scotland.

GEOGRAPHY CONTINUED

POLITICS The political atmosphere was drastically altered with the coming of the Protestant Revolution. It hit places such as England and the Holy Roman Empire, or Germany. In England, Henry VIII wanted to marry another woman and demanded the pope approve it. However, since he had already done so once before as an exception, the pope now refused. As a result, Henry VIII decided to split from the Catholic Church and create his Anglican Church. Here, he was the top man and he controlled the church. Although it was somewhat Protestant, the church was more conservative than others.

POLITICS CONTINUED In Central Europe, the Holy Roman Empire was widely split. There were princes who wanted their kingdoms to be Protestant, while others wanted to stick to their Catholic origins. The movement was started with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses, who ignited debate over whether areas wanted to have Protestantism or Catholicism. Although this was settled in the Peace of Augsburg, conflict remained. Eventually, this resulted in the 30 years war, with most the conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire.

POLITICS CONTINUED The 30 years war eventually included the French and the Habsburg. It shifted from a religious war to a political one as the French entered on the Protestant side. The French, seeing the the Habsburg were gaining power, sought to stop this and used the Protestant cause as an excuse to enter war. The war ended with the Peace of Westphalia that also effectively ended the Protestant Reformation.

INTELLECTUAL During the Protestant Reformation, the main instigator of change was Martin Luther, a German monk who began the movement with his 95-theses. Martin Luther translated and mass produced the Bible in German vernacular in order to spread the Bible to more people. In addition to this, his idea of Lutheranism differed from Catholicism by using the Bible as its sole source of divine knowledge.

RELIGIOUS Inspired by Martin Luther’s challenging of the Catholic Church, many new theologies sprouted, such at Lutheranism in the Germanic region, Calvinism, Zwinglianism in Switzerland, and the Puritan movement in England. The Calvinist ideas included the fact that the only way to obtain God’s knowledge was to study the scriptures. Also, he refuses the use of imagery of God, as he believes it could lead to idols.

RELIGIOUS CONTINUED Zwinglianism was based on the bible, taking scriptures and placing them above all else. Both state and church are under the rule of God. Puritans wanted the English Church to be more similar to the Protestant Churches and tried to reform it. They rejected ornaments and rituals.

RELIGIOUS AGAIN A major religious event that occurred in 1521 was the Diet of Worms, an imperial assembly called by the Holy Roman Empire. To protect the Catholic Churches authority, Charles V’s advisors suggested that Luther was a threat and a heretic and that he needed to be brought before the Diet of Worms. He was however, too busy with political and military concerns so Martin Luther was able to freely move about.

ARTISTIC The key artistic form that developed during the Protestant Reformation was the style of Baroque art. Baroque art is characterized by its use of exaggerated motion to produce drama and tension in art. This was a reaction to the Protestant Reformation by the Roman Catholic Church who believed that the arts should communicate religious ideas. These works were popular with aristocracy who used it as a show of power and wealth.

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TECHNOLOGICAL The main invention that was important during the Protestant Reformation was the printing press, invented almost a century before the start of the Protestant Reformation. However, it was the invention that started the Protestant Reformation and ultimately cultivated it. Martin Luther used the printing press to mass print his German version of the Bible. Also, he used it to spread his new ideas and issues with the church. Through this, he was able to spread his ideas across the continent and influence many other people to challenge the Catholic Church, such as Calvin and Zwingli.

ECONOMIC During the Protestant Reformation there were few to almost no chances economically. The movement was mainly political, social, and religious and didn’t effect the economies of countries

SOCIAL The Protestant Reformation led to many social changes, including witch hunts, centralization of family in society, and the Protestant work ethic. Witch hunts were a common practice, with the number 1 practicing country being Germany, followed by France. Family was now seen as the foundation for religion, not the churches for Protestants. The Protestant work ethic that came through the new teachings helped create a society of harder working people. This led to the development of a larger middle class and spurred the development of capitalism.

SOCIAL EFFECTS CONTINUED In the Protestant Reformation, woman gained ground as they were encouraged to read and study the bible themselves. However, they were still expected to remain subordinate to their husbands or father.