MWH 3.2 French Religious Wars

Babylonian Captivity(1309) & Great Schism( ) The Babylonian Captivity – period of time in which the popes lived in Avignon, France under the control of the French Kings. The Great Schism – was a reaction to the Babylonian Captivity, occurred when rival popes, one at Avignon and one in Rome claimed to be the true pope. These two movements led to a lost of respect and a struggle of Church supremacy, which lasted until the Council of Constance appointed a new pope in 1415.

German Peasants Revolt Peasant revolts took place in many parts of Europe as a result of the economic conditions of the period. The economic conditions were generally worse for all members of the peasantry in Europe compared to the economic conditions for members of the nobility. In order to understand the causes of the revolt, it is important to consider the social classes in Germany at that time. The members of the nobility (German princes, lesser nobles), members of the Church, and the middle class (upper-patricians, lower burghers) paid little or no taxes, but levied taxes on the peasant class. Following crop failures in 1523 and 1524, German peasants from the Bavarian (Swabia) region demanded an end to death taxes, new rents, and noble seizure of village common lands in 1525.

German Peasants Revolt Martin Luther initially backed the peasants and the movement was seen as parallel to the Protestant Reformation’s aim to bring social, economic, and political rights to all citizens of Germany, free from the control of the Catholic Church. However, when the peasants turned to violence, Luther encouraged the nobility to quickly end the rebellion. Over 100,000 peasants lost their lives during the rebellion and many more were executed for their disloyalty at the conclusion of the revolt. The German Peasants’ War of 1525 strengthened the authority of nobility.

Holy Roman Empire In 1477, the Habsburgs was the strongest ruling family in the Holy Roman (German) Empire. The Habsburg Charles V (1500–1558) inherited Spain, and Spanish possessions in Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia, in addition to the lands mentioned above. In 1519, Charles was elected Holy Roman Emperor. He believed that it was his duty to maintain the unity of Christendom.

Holy Roman Empire Spiritual and material concerns swayed many German princes to convert to Protestantism. The Reformation led to religious wars, first in Switzerland and then elsewhere. In 1530, Charles V called an Imperial Diet at Augsburg to try to halt the spread of religious division. When Charles rejected Protestant demands, Protestant princes formed a military alliance. Numerous outside powers became involved in Germany’s political and religious upheaval. In the Peace of Augsburg (1555) Charles accepted the religious status quo in Germany.

Creating the Church of England Henry VIII replaced the Roman Catholic Church in England with the Church of England (Anglican Church) when Pope Clement VII refused to grant him a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon (Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain). This move gave Henry greater political control and money. He took over Church land holdings, which added to his wealth and allowed him to reward loyal members of the nobility.

Creating the Church of England After Henry’s Death, his son Edward VI, continued his father’s devotion to the Church of England; however, his sister and successor, Mary I (daughter of Catherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife) reestablished the dominance of the Catholic Church during her short reign. Upon her death, Elizabeth I, reverted to Protestantism and strengthened the Anglican Church. She took decisive actions against Catholic plots that were staged against her and defended England against the Spanish to preserve Protestantism.

French Religious Wars By 1518, Martin Luther’s religious ideas had spread into much of France; however, John Calvin’s work grew in popularity in France over the next two decades. Many French citizens converted to Calvinism and were called Huguenots. Weak Monarchs combined with religious division to create civil war. Popular Calvinism was manifested in iconoclasm, which led to further unrest between Catholics and Protestants. Iconoclasm is the destruction of religious relics. Tensions increased between Protestants and Catholics over the following decades.

French Religious Wars Thousands of Protestants were killed in the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (August 24, 1572), an event that sparked a fifteen-year civil war. By the 1580’s,a growing faction called politiques emerged in France. Politiques were religious moderates who believed that only the restoration of a strong monarchy could save France from collapse. The beginning of the reign of Henry IV in 1589, himself a politique, brought new stability to France. For the sake of peace, Henry converted to Catholicism and issued the Edict of Nantes(1589)

French Religious Wars An edict is an official decree or order, typically issued by a political or religious leader. The Edict of Nantes was seen as a peace offering to Protestants in Catholic France. It decree granted a degree of toleration to the Huguenots (French Protestants) and led to relative peace between the Catholics and Protestants in France. It is important to note although the edict of Nantes brought the religious wars to an end, Huguenots still face political disenfranchisement. During the 17 th century several wars would be fought between the Protestants and Catholics.