The Reformation 1517-1648
Stages of the Reformation
• Initial spread of Reformed ideas: (1520s-1530s) • Counter-Reformation (1530-1540s) • Wars of Religion (1550s-1590s)
Immediate Causes of the Reformation
• Merchant wealth challenged the church’s view of usury. • Italian domination of the Church. • Conflict with the Church • Church corruption and indulgences
What are Indulgences? • You give the Church money to forgive you for your sins.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
Luther video
John Calvin (1509-1564) • Believed in predestination • Expanded Protestant movement
King Henry VIII (1491-1547) • Dismissed authority of the popes in Rome • Divorced, broke with the Catholic Church • Formed the Church of England • The scoop on Henry…
What kind of man was he?
His priorities• to be a strong king, with a firm hold on the throne • He mostly wanted a son to succeed him
Wife #1-Catherine of Aragon • Married 1509 • Daughter of king of Spain • She had a daughter, Mary, but no sons • She was too old for more children • In 1533, Henry divorced her
Wife #2-Anne Boleyn • Married 1533 • Young, pretty and witty • She had one daughter, Elizabeth • She was beheaded for being unfaithful in 1536
Wife #3-Jane Seymour • Married 1536 (11 days after execution of Anne) • She had a son, Edward, but died soon after (1537) • Henry probably loved her best of all his wives
Wife #4-Anne of Cleves • Married 1540 • The marriage made a link between England and Germany • Henry thought she was ugly • Divorced 1540 – the same year!
Wife #5-Catherine Howard • Married 1540 • She was 20, Henry was 49 • She was unfaithful • Executed in 1542
Wife #6-Catherine Parr • Married 1543; she was 2x widowed and childless • She remarried as soon as he diedThomas Seymour
Henry’s Children
Why did Protestantism spread? • • • • • • •
Printing press (1453) Scholastic legacy More educated clergy Higher literacy Growth of towns Stronger state Papacy weakened by scandal
Immediate results of Protestantism in Germany • North: Princes converted to Protestantism, ending papal authority in their states. • Although the Hapsburg (ruling) family remained Catholic. • War between Protestants and Catholics resulted in devastating loss (Thirty Years’ War).
…and England • Elizabeth I-ended bloodshed and united the British Isles under the Anglican Church. • Some say the rise of the Reformation contributed to the growth of capitalism.
Capitalism• An economic and social system • Means of production are privately owned and operated • Prices, production and income are controlled by the market… • Supply and Demand
…in France • Catholic Monarchy (Henry IV) granted (Protestant) Huguenots freedom of worship with the Edict of Nantes. • Cardinal Richelieu (the 3 musketeers guy) changed the focus of the Thirty Years’ War from a religious to a political one.
30 years war • 1618-1648 • In Holy Roman Empire, present day Germany • Involved most of the European powers • Started as a religious conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics • Evolved into a political war • Fueled the France-Habsburg rivalry • Later led to war between France and Spain
The Catholic Reformation AKA The Counter Reformation • In response to the Reformation • The Church undertook a massive reform • Hoping to persuade people to return to the church • Two institutions were key in this process – The Council of Trent and the Society of Jesus
Council of Trent • 1545-1563 • Led by Pope Paul III • Assembly of bishops, cardinals, and other high church officials • Reaffirmed Doctrine of Works, indulgences, clerical celibacy Cracked down on simony (selling of church positions) , nepotism (favoring relatives), clerical abuses Clarified Catholic dogma
The Society of Jesus (“Jesuits”) • Founded 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola--Intellectual advance force of the Counter-Reformation
The Inquisition • Papal and Spanish (15th century)
The Witchcraft Craze, ca. 15601700 • Last outbreak: Salem, Mass., 1692—18 hanged
Long term results• • • • • • • • • •
Religiously divided Europe Rise of England and the Netherlands Witch hunts (1400s-1700) National wealth Fewer clergy Rise in literacy Changing cultural values and traditions Growth of secularism Growth of individualism Growth of religious tolerance