Protestant Reformation Dbq

The Protestant Reformation was a pivotal time of European history that occurred during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was comprised of people called “reformers” that challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice (“The Reformation”). The Protestant Reformation was revolutionary due to the fact that the reformers preached against everything the Catholic Church had been teaching. Some famous reformers are John Calvin and Martin Luther. However, Martin Luther-- to some--- is named the most successful and influential reformer of the 16th century. Martin Luther was tremendously effective and influential due to how resourceful he was, and his teachings spread across Europe swiftly.

The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.

The protestant reformation was a significant turning point during the 16th century that completely revolutionized the Roman Catholic Church. The “reformation” was launched in 1517 when a German monk by the name of Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. The main ideas of this publication was that selling and buying indulgences was wrong and that the pope has no power over purgatory. These 95 revolutionary opinions formed the basis for the protestant reformation which revolutionized western civilization over the next three centuries. Although most people believe these reforms only affected religion, the reformation also impacted political life. Politics played an enormous role in the reformation due to the fact that political rulers wanted to extend their power and control using the church. Throughout the course of the protestant reformation, political authorities such as Emperor Charles V and Henry

The Protestant Reformation (1517 to 1648) was a time when the Catholic Church was very corrupt and and Martin Luther wanted to break away from Catholicism. It started in the Medieval Times when indulgences* were prominent in churches. The Printing Press and Martin Luther 95 Thesis contributed with the Protestant Reformation in many ways including, It made information more accessible, wake up call to the people.

INTRODUCTION The Reformation is a significant development within a religious tradition. During the 16th century, many changes occurred in European society as well as the Church. These were mainly due to the Protestant Reformation, English Reformation and Catholic Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was initiated by Martin Luther around 1517, in Germany.

Martin Luther: German friar who believed that only the Bible was God’s word and started Protestant Reformation

1. The Protestant Reformation affected England the reign of Henry VIII in a plethora of ways. The Protestant Reformation was a huge European movement in the 16th century intended to change the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. (The Protestant Reformation) Henry VIII wanted to make the land and tax money belong to the Church of England.

The period of Roman time between the 5th and 15th century is known as the middle ages, this certain period in time involved the fall of the Roman Empire and the evolution of the renaissance period. The renaissance was a time of rebirth during which massive changes occurred which would subsequently impact the Catholic Church. This later period is known as the Reformation. The Reformation was quite the violent time period in Europe. In the wars of religion, family members were often in conflict. Both the Protestants and Catholics thought they were a hundred percent correct and that the other religion was part of the 'devil's work'. There were many influential people in relation to the Reformation, one of them being Martin Luther. This essay

The protestant reformation happened at the moment that it did because the Catholic Church was very a powerful force in Europe. It controlled people lives both spiritually and temporally. The church had so much power that it maintained political control over a large portion of Italy. The fact that the church held so much control over countries and governments became a point of contention among European countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, Italian city-states outside of Rome, England, France and Spain. The power of the rulers of these areas had greatly increased in the 14th century and they were eager to take the chances offered by a Reformation to weaken the grip of the Catholic Church in Europe and also to develop their own powers across the European continent. For quite some time the Catholic Church had been an institution rampant with internal struggles. Such as the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 when seven popes opted to live in Avignon, France and not reside in Rome which was and is the traditional home of the Papacy. The Pope and other high ranking church officials often lived opulent lifestyles rather than a more austere lifestyle that should befit a spiritual leader. Many church leaders and Popes maintained political powers. They led armies, waged wars and made many political decisions. Church offices were sold, and many Popes and bishops practiced nepotism to fill church offices. With all of these worldly issues for the Pope

The Catholic Church was riddled with corruption in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Germany was in a fragmented state and dominated by Rome, Spain, and Europe as a whole. Martin Luther’s 95 theses criticised the Church in many areas, namely its blind secularistic nature. He appealed to a wide variety of people, and thus Lutheranism was carried across Europe. Eventually, Lutheranism would disrupt the balance of Europe by weakening the Catholic Church and spurring social change.

The Protestant Reformation and European expansion have both left political, social and economic impacts throughout history. The Protestant Reformation which was started in the 1500’s, by a Catholic man named Martin Luther caused political instability and fragmented the Holy Roman Empire. It economically caused the church to go bankrupt and socially allowed for the rise of individualism among the people; Luther gave the people of Europe the long needed reason to break free of the church. The Protestant Reformation and the need for new converts lead to the rise of European expansion. European expansion into the west resulted in a political increase of power for Europe, the social increase in slavery, disease and racism, as well as the

Luther’s reformation, which led to the German Peasant’s War and Luther’s 95 theses, sparked a lot of division in the Holy Roman Empire. The German Peasant’s war started because peasants wrongly assumed that Luther would be on their side. When Luther said that “A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none,” a group of peasants, who were very tired or their working and living conditions, decided to rebel. Many peasants and allies revolted, and over 100,000 of them were slaughtered. This led to division between the peasants and common people. Another example of Luther’s reformation causing division in the Holy Roman Empire was Luther’s 95 theses. Luther wrote 95 theses opposing indulgences sold by the church. His theses explained

Lutheranism was the first branch that appeared. When Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the Church’s doors, he expected an obvious opposition by the leaders and authorities. When Luther’s ideas started spreading the Church asked him to remove all of his works and let his projects down. Instead “ he developed even more radical and new doctrines.” (Ellis and Esler 63) One of the key factors to the spread of his ideas was the existence Gutenberg’s’ invention, the printing press. It made it possible to print a large amount of copies of the 95 theses. Among his ideas, he stated that salvation could be achieved through faith and faith alone, compared to Catholicism and Calvinism. Martin also said that at the head’s church should be an elected council. Calvinism was also a source of inspiration to all of the peasants that believed that this rule has been brain washing them and in favor of the richest. It ignited revolts all over Europe and results in socio-economic changes; these were mainly present through out Germany. One of the points Luther stressed is that all Christians should have the same and equal access to religion and God. This was an immense attack to the principles of the Catholic Church. What was making the Catholic Church’s head so influent and imposing was being attacked, those times people not accessing accurate information made it possible for the authorities to remain. However, with these new

The renaissance and the beginning of the humanist movement laid the ground for religious turmoil. By the 16th century Lutheranism became established as the official religion of the German region. Martin Luther’s 95 theses had its share of controversy when it came to politics. Today Lutheranism has spread from its beginnings in the 16th century to all of the continents. During the 15th century many changes took place in Europe which allowed for the spread of the Lutheran

The Protestant Reformation of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought many changes to Europe regarding political and religious systems across various areas. Not only did the disagreements sever relationships between notable political authorities, it also created divisions within the church that would last for years to come. As turmoil rose and wars broke out, many people were left with the tough decision of either following the new path set in motion or staying with a system that had been used for many years before. Martin Luther, an influential leader that spoke against the practices of the Catholic church, based his arguments on scripture and Christian faith. Ultimately, the changes that were caused by this reformation can be accounted for the stress and political partitions that were created between the upper and lower class. One such group that was faced with the backlash were the German peasants, who, around 1524, rebelled against their oppressive leaders. However, their demands were not met with satisfaction. Martin Luther, as well as many others, did not believe that the peasants’ issues were to be placed in the context of the religious reformation.