The Reformation Quiz

The Reformation: Causes, Martin Luther, Effects, and Other Reforms

• The Reformation was caused by technology, education, urbanization, nationalism, and Martin Luther's criticisms of the Catholic Church.
• Martin Luther was a former peasant who studied law and became a monk. He wrote the 95 Theses, which criticized the Church's corruption and sparked the Reformation.
• Luther's 95 Theses spread quickly through the printing press and led to the Diet of Worms, where he was labeled a heretic and excommunicated.
• Lutheranism emerged as a new religious sect, and Luther appealed to German princes for protection and freedom from the Pope's control.
• The Reformation sparked class conflict and economic revolt, including the Peasant Revolt of 1524-1525.
• The Anabaptists took the reforms even further, advocating for adult baptism, personal decision to follow Christ, and no hierarchy or separation of church and state.
• John Calvin's Calvinism emerged, advocating for predestination, theocracy, and strict regulation of clothing, games, and business.
• In England, the roots of the Reformation were political, as King Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage and establish the Church of England. The Act of Supremacy declared the King as the head of the Church.
• The Catholic Church established the Jesuits, who took a special oath to serve the Pope and performed dangerous missions on his behalf.
• Pope Paul III established the Reform Commission and Council of Trent to reorganize the Church and clarify its beliefs on faith, works, sacraments, and Bible interpretation.
• The Roman Inquisition was created to stamp out Protestants and other dissenters, leading to religious warfare and witch hunts.
• The Reformation had lasting effects on European society and culture, including the rise of new religious sects, the breakdown of Papal control, and the establishment of Protestantism and the Church of England.