1. The Protestant Reformation
In this lesson, students will be able to define the following terms:
Reformation
Indulgences
Martin Luther
Ninety-five Theses
Excommunication
Protestants

2. What was the Reformation?
REFORM = CHANGE
A movement for religious reform/change

3. The Roman Catholic Church was a
powerful institution in the Middle Ages.

4. The Roman Catholic
Church united
people in the
Middle Ages. It
was the only
Christian Church in
Western Europe.
People paid church
taxes and accepted
its leadership.

5. The Roman Catholic Church was the largest landowner in Western Europe.
It was a wealthy and powerful institution.

6. But some popes were corrupt. Some
popes used their position for personal
gain and pleasure and were not
spiritual leaders.

7. During the Middle Ages, Catholics
could buy indulgences.

8. Indulgences An indulgence was a pardon for committing a sin.
A Catholic could purchase an indulgence to reduce his time in purgatory.
Purgatory was a place where those who died were temporarily punished for their sins.

9. Martin Luther
was a
German monk.
He was
strongly
opposed to
the sale of
indulgences.

10. Martin Luther Martin Luther was a Catholic priest.
He called for reforms within the Roman Catholic Church.
In 1517, he posted his 95 theses on a church door in Germany. He criticized the Church for indulgences and for its practices.

11. Martin Luther believed that faith alone
could save a person.

12. When Luther refused to recant his statements, the Pope excommunicated
him.

13. Excommunication
When Luther refused to recant his statements, the Pope excommunicated Luther.
An excommunicated Catholic cannot participate fully in Church sacraments.
It is the most serious penalty that the Church can inflict.
E. Napp

14. Fortunately for Luther, German princes protected him and he was able
to start his own church.

15. German Princes
German princes protected Luther because they were tired of the power of the Catholic Church.
Given protection, Luther was not burned at the stake and was able to start his own church.
Protestants were individuals who had protested against the power and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. But were still Christian.

16. The invention of the printing press in 1455 by Johann Gutenberg helped
Luther. The printing press allowed
books to be manufactured faster and
cheaper. Ideas spread.

17. The Printing Press
The printing press made it possible to manufacture books quickly.
With increased production, books were cheaper and easier to acquire.
Gutenberg’s invention helped Luther spread his ideas.

18. Questions for Reflection:
What were indulgences?
Why was Martin Luther opposed to the sale of indulgences?
Why did Roman Catholic Church officials respond to Luther’s ninety-five theses with the eventual excommunication of Luther?
Why did German princes protect Luther?
How did the invention of the printing press help Protestants?

19. CFU
Which innovation had the greatest impact on the Protestant Reformation?
(1) movable-type printing press
(2) Mercator map projection
(3) magnetic compass
(4) triangular sail

20. CFU
• 1340s—Mongols, merchants, and other travelers carried disease along trade routes west of China.
• 1346—The plague reached the Black Sea ports of Caffa and Tana.
• 1347—Italian merchants fled plague-infected Black Sea ports.
• 1348—The plague became an epidemic in most of western Europe.
Which conclusion can be made based on these statements?
(1) The plague primarily affected China.
(2) The interaction of people spread the plague.
(3) Port cities were relatively untouched by the plague.
(4) The plague started in western Europe.

21. CFU
Which factor contributed to the beginning of the Renaissance in Italian cities?
(1) occupation by foreign powers
(2) interaction with Latin America
(3) surplus of porcelain from Japan
(4) access to important trade routes

22. CFU • Leonardo DaVinci used movement and perspective in his work.
• Machiavelli’s The Prince advised rulers on how to gain and maintain power.
• Humanist scholars examined worldly subjects and classical culture.
Which period is associated with these statements?
(1) French Revolution (3) Early Middle Ages
(2) Renaissance (4) Enlightenment

23. CFU In western Europe, Martin Luther’s Ninety-five
Theses and Henry VIII’s Act of Supremacy led to
(1) an end to Christian unity
(2) a strengthening of economic unity
(3) better relations between peasants and merchants
(4) fewer violent outbreaks between ethnic groups

24. CFU • Martin Luther stresses the central role of faith.
• The belief of predestination spreads throughout Switzerland.
• The Council of Trent clarifies the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.
These statements describe ideas and events that
(1) brought religious unity to Europe
(2) shaped the Reformation and the Counter Reformation
(3) ended the Glorious Revolution
(4) expanded the importance of the Orthodox Church