Protestant Reformation and Its Impact

The Protestant Reformation

• Began in 1517 when Martin Luther published his Ninety-Five Theses
• Resulted in large portions of the European population leaving the Catholic Church
• Led to a loss of power for the Pope and Catholic clergy
• Positive consequences included:
  • Increased emphasis on education for boys and girls
  • Focus on independent thought
  • Women gained new rights, such as the right to divorce and marry
  • Increased role of the family as the center of life
• Despite the changes, most peasants found it impossible to change their everyday lives, even after leading significant revolts
• Other reformers, such as John Calvin, carried on the causes of the Protestant Reformation
• Calvin believed in predestination

The Catholic Reformation

• Was the Roman Catholic church's counter-movement to address the concerns of Martin Luther and other religious reformers
• The Council of Trent was convened to respond to the Protestant Reformation
• The Jesuits were a religious group created during the Catholic Reformation
• They engaged in extensive missionary activity for Catholicism

The Age of Exploration

• Was a time when European explorers began traveling en masse to other continents, especially the Americas
• Also known as the Age of Discovery
• Lasted from the 15th to the 18th century
• Explorers such as Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, and Ponce de Leon claimed new lands for their respective crowns
• The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of plants, fruits, vegetables, disease, and other items between the Old and New Worlds
• Positive consequences included the discovery of new foods from the Americas
• Negative consequences included the destruction of most Native American societies

The Columbian Exchange

• Was the exchange of plants, fruits, vegetables, disease, and other items between the Old and New Worlds after the explorations of Christopher Columbus
• Items taken back to the Old World included turkeys, tomatoes, and habanero peppers
• Items received by the New World included sugarcane, coffee, and horses
• Negative consequences included slavery and disease

Science and the Scientific Revolution

• Was a wave of scholars proposing a new way of thinking that transformed society through the elevation of science as the source of truth
• Key to this was the scientific method, developed by Francis Bacon
• The Scientific Revolution began when Copernicus published a book that challenged the view of the Earth as the center of the universe
• The climax of the Scientific Revolution was when Isaac Newton published his series of books, which used the scientific method to challenge many of the oldest traditional assumptions about the universe
• The Scientific Revolution established science, supported through experiments, as the source of truth, completely changing how society looked at and understood the universe

Medicine and Chemistry in the 16th and 17th Centuries

• Saw medicine and chemistry come into their own as disciplines
• Occurred largely due to the increased emphasis on empiricism by the scientists of the period
• Pioneering dissections, endless experimentation, and dedication to notation and observation led to the development of medicine and chemistry as highly specialized disciplines

Learn about the Protestant Revolution, its causes, effects, and its impacts on society, including the decline of Catholic Church's power and increased emphasis on education.