Good Hope School S2 History 2. The Reformation PDF

Good Hope School S2 History 2. The Reformation 1. What was the Reformation? o Major Religious movement in Europe between the 16th and 17th centuries o Beginning: Martin Luther published the Ninety-fiv...

Good Hope School S2 History 2. The Reformation 1. What was the Reformation? o Major Religious movement in Europe between the 16th and 17th centuries o Beginning: Martin Luther published the Ninety-five Theses (1517) o End: Peace of Westphalia - end of the Thirty Years’ War (1648) o Resulted in religious divisions within Christendom, split of Protestant churches from the Roman Catholic Church 2. Background of the Reformation o Renaissance → Decline of Church authority ❖ Spread of new ideas → traditional church authority weakened ❖ The development of new printing technology, e.g., moveable type printing press by Gutenberg, accelerated the spread of new ideas and knowledge on an unprecedented scale. E.g., First newspaper ❖ Printing technology → The Bible became more accessible ❖ Translations of the Bible into vernacular languages: different Biblical and theological interpretations o Conflict between church and state power ❖ Despite the influence of the church in medieval Europe, instances of conflicts between the church and the state (King) did happen ❖ Gradually, with the decline of church authority, many secular kings were able to regain political authority from the church o Alleged corruption of the church ❖ The spread of new ideas allowed Europeans to challenge and question the legitimacy of church authority – undermined church authority ❖ Many considered the church as a corrupt institution ❖ Indulgence Controversy (16th century) 24-25 S2 History_Term 1_2. Reformation Page 1 3. Development of the Reformation (a) Indulgence Controversy In 1517, under Pope Leo X, the church began to offer indulgences to Europeans who funded the construction of St. Peter's Basilica To encourage donations, some church officials exaggerated the benefit and function of indulgences. It was claimed that the indulgences could wash away sins and alleviate the sufferings of the purchasers and their relatives in purgatory Many considered the selling of indulgences a sign of corruption of the church (b) Martin Luther and the Ninety-Five-Theses In October 1517, Martin Luther, a German monk, posted his Ninety-Five-Theses on the doors of the Castle Church, Wittenberg (Germany) - he Criticised the selling of indulgences and argued for new interpretations of the Christian faith Originally published in Latin, the Theses was translated into German and numerous other European languages, spreading ideas critical towards the church Sparked the Protestant Reformation (c) Rise of Protestantism In 1521, the church excommunicated Martin Luther for his criticism of the church Luther became an outlaw in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany) However, a German noble, Frederick III of Saxony, protected Luther With the protection of some German states, Luther established the Lutheran church Inspired by Luther, many new Christian churches were established, e.g. Baptists, Methodists, Calvinists 4. The Counter-Reformation (1545 - 1648) In 1545 Pope Paul III held the Council of Trent in an attempt to address the crisis and restore its prestige To help spread the teachings of the Catholic Church, religious orders and societies – e.g. Jesuits 5. Impact of the Reformation (a) Religious conflicts and wars i. Europe divided by different Christian factions, ushering in centuries of religious war and conflict ii.Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) - war between Catholics and Protestants (b) Rise of absolutism i. Weakened the authority of the Church > more power for secular kings E.g. Catholic: France; Protestant: Britain, Prussia ii.Many of the secular monarchs became the supreme ruler of their own kingdoms, wielding absolute authority over their subjects (absolutism) 24-25 S2 History_Term 1_2. Reformation Page 2 (c) Economic development of Europe and the rise of capitalism i. Growth of humanism > importance of worldly life ii.Praised hard work as a virtue, working as an act of worship of god iii. Laid the foundations of capitalism (d) Intellectual and social development i. Many Protestant churches favoured the development of secular education, which became the foundation of modern European intellectual and social development (separation of education and religion) (e) Spread of Christianity beyond Europe i. Bibles were translated into different languages ii. People were encouraged to practise Christianity outside the Church iii. Missionary societies were established E.g. Society of Jesus (missionaries work in Asia, Africa and America) 24-25 S2 History_Term 1_2. Reformation Page 3