The Reformation Power Point

The Reformation

Background  Before

the Reformation several events had already weakened the Catholic Church. These included: – The Great Schism – The Inquisitions

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invention of the printing press was also significant.

The Catholic Church in the Middle Ages 

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The Catholic Church dominated European religious, social, and intellectual life for most of the Middle Ages. It was also the largest land owner in Europe, giving it substantial economic power over peasants and princes alike.

The Great Schism (of the 1370s) 

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After the death of Pope Gregory XI, the Church decided to move the papacy back to Rome after years of it residing in Auvignon, France. Pope Urban VI was elected, but then the College of Cardinals in France elected a different pope, Clement VII. Each pope excommunicated the other and claimed the sole papacy, Urban VI in Rome and Clement VII in Auvignon. The tension between the French and Italian sections of the church greatly reduced the power of the papacy and validity of the Catholic Church. Not fully resolved until 1429 when the papacy officially stayed in Rome.

Inquisition 

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Though there were a few Inquisitions, the first starting in 118o, the most famous is the Spanish Inquisition. After trying to drive out the Muslims for 300 years, the Spanish monarchy finally succeeded in the 1400s and launched the Inquisition. Jews, Muslims, and Christians accused of heresy-beliefs different from official church beliefs-were questioned, tried, and often burned at the stake. Thousands were murdered by the church.

The Printing Press 

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Sixty years before the Reformation started German inventor, Johan Gutenburg, developed a printing press using modern techniques from Asia and Europe. His printing press drastically increased the availability of books and thus the new ideas of the Renaissance and later the Reformation.

The Reformation Begins…  In

response to corruption within the Catholic Church, Martin Luther wrote his “95 Theses” in 1517 and posted it on the door of a church.  The “95 Theses” were taken to a printer and distributed throughout the German kingdoms stirring up a lot of turmoil.

Lutherans and Protestants 

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Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and his followers became Lutherans. Some German princes converted to Lutheranism in order to break from the domination of the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. These princes were said to be in protest of Catholicism, or Protestant. Protestant came to mean any non-Catholic Christian.

The Reformation Spreads 

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King Henry VIII of England broke with the Catholic Church, putting himself at the head of a new church in 1529-later becoming The Church of England. His daughter Elizabeth I, presided over the creation of the Church of England or the Anglican Church in 1559.

Calvinism 

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In 1536, John Calvin published “Institutes of the Christian Religion” expressing Protestant religious beliefs in a more complete form. He believed God knew ahead of time who was going to be saved-a doctrine called predestination.

The Counter Reformation 

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Despite huge growth of Protestantism, most Europeans remained Catholics. The Protestant Reformation spurned a move to reform the Catholic Church as well-known as the Counter Reformation. The Jesuits were an order of monks who set up schools to stop the spread of Protestantism in Europe and were sent to other parts of the world to convert nonChristians to Catholicism.

Conclusion  Though

the Catholic Church remained a dominant power in European politics and religious life, its power was nonetheless weakened.  Protestantism began to become the religion of choice for the emerging merchant class and spread accordingly.