The 16th century

REFORMATION AND RELIGIOUS WARFARE

Northern Renaissance: Christian or Northern Renaissance Humanism The common bond of all humanists was the

knowledge of classics Also called Christian humanists or northern

humanists discovered that religion had been distorted

by theologians during the Middle Ages They felt the classics had more morality than

theology Studied Hebrew to read original texts instead

of translations

Humanism, yay.

Support for humanism came from all secular areas

They tried to use reason to reform the church To change society, the humans who compose it

must first be changed through education The Reformation shattered intellectual

optimism

Erasmus The Handbook of the Christian

Knight – Christianity could be a guiding philosophy instead of a system of dogmatic beliefs and practices

Inner piety could replace external forms of religion and return the church to simplicity

Replace sacraments, pilgrimages, fasts, saints, relics

The Praise of Folly – criticisms of the most corrupt practices of the clergy, disguised in humor

Was against reformers like Luther

Thomas More Utopia – idealistic life and

institutions of the community Discusses the economic, social

and political problems of the day Proposed cooperation and reason

as replacement for power and fame

Communal ownership rather than private property

Killed by King Henry VIII when he opposed the English Reformation

Church and Religion on the Eve of Reformation

The Clergy High positions of the clergy were held

by nobility or wealthy members of the bourgeoisie

To increase revenue officials held many offices – pluralism

Led to officials being absent from duties delegating them to priest that were underpaid and had no interest in their duties

Caused a division between higher and lower clergy

Popular Religion meaningful religious

expression & certainty of salvation Mechanical view of

salvation – collection of relics, indulgences to end purgatory, pilgrimages

Tranquil spirituality (popular mysticism) – deemphasized the church in favor of inner spirit and direct communion with god

Martin Luther The Early Luther:

Disliked indulgences Pope Leo X did not take him

seriously calling him a “drunken German”

The development of the printing press allowed his 95 These to spread quickly around Germany

The Leipzig Debate saw Luther move beyond indulgences and deny the authority of popes and councils

Reformation in Germany

Address to the Nobility of the German Nation – The papacy prevented reform in three ways Church was superior to the state Only the pope can interpret scripture Only the pope can call council

The Babylonian Captivity of the Church – a call for the reform on monasticism and for the clergy to marry

Reformation in Germany…

On the Freedom of a Christian Man – Faith alone, not good works brings salvationBeing freed by faith doesn't free you

from good works He was excommunicated in 1521 and

ordered to the Diet of Worms by emperor Charles VMartin Luther was made an outlaw

within the empire

Development of Lutheranism

Lutheranism spread to both northern and central Germany and some free imperial cities

Peasants were still abused and taxed by the local lords and looked to Martin Luther for support in the Peasants’ War

Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants – Luther called upon German princes to “stab, smite, and slay” the peasantry Luther felt the state and its rulers were ordained by god, and

therefore against social revolutions

b. Subjects must obey their rulers and princes must end revolt

c. This was all due to Luther’s financial dependence on German princes to support the Protestant church

Church and State Luther also redefined the seven sacraments

of the Catholic churchKept baptism and the Lord’s SupperRejected the authority of Scripture being

supplemented by traditions and decrees The Protestant church became a territory of

the state Luther denounced clerical celibacy and

married a former nun

Germany and the Reformation: Religion and Politics Holy Roman Emperor Charles V

tried to unify his empire and keep it within the Catholic church He was prevented from doing

this because he constantly had to fight off the French king Francis I, and Ottoman Turk invasions

530 - Diet of Augsburg – Charles demanded that the Lutherans returned to the Catholic church

The Schmalkaldic League

Eight princes and eleven imperial cities created the Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League promised to assist each

other “Whenever any one of us is attacked on account of the Word of God and doctrine of Gospel"

The Schmalkaldic Wars saw Protestant princes ally with the French king, Henry II, a Catholic, to negotiate a truce

1555 – Peace of Augsburg – German states were free to choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism

The division of Christianity was formally acknowledged

Spread of Protestant Reformation With the support of the king and nobles, a Swedish

Lutheran National Church was created It spread to Denmark as well, with the king as head

of the church And to Norway, making Scandinavia a Lutheran

stronghold run by monarchs as state-run churches Switzerland had become politically free from the Holy

Roman Empire and became governed by a loose association of 13 cantons Six forest cantons – democratic republics Seven urban cantons – city council oligarchies Worked together only to survive

Ulrich Zwingli a priest from a Zurich began his own reformation in Switzerland

The city council held a public debate about the unrest he caused with his preaching

Debate gave advantages to reformers as Catholics were not used to defending their teachings

Zwingli won the debate and the Catholic Church was removed             Secular authorities gained power as there was no division of authority

in the town Relics were abolished, paintings, decorations and whitewashed walls Music was eliminated Monasticism, pilgrimages, veneration of saints celibacy and the pope’s authority were abolished The urban cantons had been reformed but forest cantons remained

Catholic

End of Zwingli

Zwingli attempted to create a league with Luther and reformers at Marburg Colloquy

Agreement was reached on everything except the interpretation of the Lord’s Supper

War between the Catholic and Protestant cantons breaks out and Zwingli is killed

Radical Reformation: Anabaptist

Anabaptists were a radical group that attracted the lower classes hurt by the economic changes of the time They advocated adult baptism as a spiritual entry into the

church and wanted to return to the practices of the earliest forms of Christianity

All believers were equal and each church chose its own minister from the community

Believed in separation of church and state, no gov’t. control persecuted by Catholics and Lutherans because of their

political ideas of church and state Melchiorites – Anabaptists from Munster that believed the end

of the world is at hand Dutch Anabaptism – pacifists with strict discipline (Mennonites)

Reformation in England Lollards rejected papal supremacy, and Christian humanists

called for reform The sack of Rome in 1527 made the pope dependent upon

the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, Queen Catherine’s nephew

Treason Act and the Act of Supremacy – no higher authority over England than laws made by the king and Parliament

Thomas More was tried for treason because he refused to publicly support the new laws

Monasteries were dissolved, and nobles were sold the land Edward moved England in a more Protestant direction Mary restored Catholicism with much opposition, but her

death ended the restoration of Catholicism

John Calvin and Calvinism Institutes of the Christian Religion – a manual for

ecclesiastical organization that made him a the new leader of Protestantism

Like Luther he believed that faith alone would achieve salvation

Predestination – God had predestined some people to be saved and others to be damned

The elected – those that would be saved The reprobate – those that would be damned There were three tests that could indicate possible

salvation An open profession of faith A “decent and godly life” Participation in the sacraments of baptism and

communion 1536 – Calvin became minister of Geneva until his death Ecclesiastical Ordinances – established the hierarchy of

the Calvinist Church (pastors, teachers, elders, deacons)

Social impact of Protestant Reformation

Luther argued that sex in marriage allowed one to “make use of this sex in order to avoid sin”

Protestantism ended the idea that a special holiness was placed on celibacy

The family was placed at the center of life and mutual love between man and wife was stressed

Reformers encouraged education for girls so they could read the bible and other religious literature

Education in the Reformation

Protestant educators used humanist methods for school

Rather than for just the elite, protestant schools needed a large audience of semi literate believers who could read the bible themselves Luther wanted all children to have an education

provided by the state Secondary schools (gymnasium) were created to

study Greek and Latin

Religious practices and pop culture The elimination of saints

put an end to many celebrations and religious holidays

English Puritans attempted to ban drinking in taverns, dramatic performances and dancing

Dutch Calvinists denounces giving presents to children on St. Nicholas day

Catholic Reformation- Counter Reformation

Tried to stop the spread of the Protestant Reformation The Society of Jesuits – the regeneration of religious orders

helped reform Also known as Jesuits, the Society of Jesus was founded by

Ignatius of Loyola The Spiritual Exercises – a manual to exercise spiritual

development Were important for three reasons Established highly disciplined schoolsBorrowed freely from humanists schools for their educational methods to educate young people on how to stop

Protestantism  Spread the Catholic faith among non-Christians

The Council of Trent

The Council of Trent – a general council to resolve the religious differences created by the Protestant revolt

Decreed four things Scripture and tradition were affirmed as equal

authorities in religious matters as only the church could interpret scripture

Both faith and good works were declared necessary for salvation

The seven sacraments were upheld, including indulgences

Established theological seminaries for training priests

Politics and the Wars of Religion

The French Wars of Religion (1562 – 1598) King Henry II was killed in a tournament and replaced by a series of weak

rulers and neurotic sons dominated by their mother Catherine de’ Medici

This caused a series of civil wars in France

Religious, political, economic and social differences all

contributed to the outbreak of war

French kings persecuted Huguenots (French Calvinists) to stop the spread of Protestantism

This had little impact as Huguenots came from all levels of society

40% to 50% of the Nobility became Huguenots

House of Bourbon, next in line for the throne, also became Huguenots

Noble Huguenots were a political threat to the king as they were a strong and well organized minority

The three Henries War started in 1562 as the duke of Guise massacred a peaceful

congregation of Huguenots Huguenots, those smaller in number were well equipped to defend

themselves, and did so during the 1560s St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre 1572

Henry of Navarre (Huguenot leader), was to marry a Valois princess Many Huguenot political leaders came to Paris to see the wedding The Guise family persuaded the king to eliminate the Huguenot

leaders all at once A wave of violence gripped Paris for three days killing 3,000

Huguenots, including prominent leaders Henry of Navarre saved his life be promising to turn Catholic The ultra-Catholics formed the Holy League Turning Point – The War of Three Henries (see pg. 403)

Edict of Nantes

Stated Catholicism was the official religion of France

Guaranteed Huguenots the right to worship in selected places, hold public office, and have fortified towns

recognized the right of the Protestant minority for political necessity

French Wars of Religion demonstrated the necessity for strong government, which will occur in the 17th century

Philip II and the Cause of Militant Catholicism

Philip II’s first goal was to consolidate and secure Spain, the Netherlands, and possession in Italy and the New World

Also strictly enforced Catholicism with an aggressive use of the Spanish Inquisition

Wanted to establish strong monarchial authority – this becomes his downfall

He became the center of the system by supervising all work

He failed to distinguish between important and trivial matter causing him to maintain the status quo instead of making Spain the most powerful country in Europe

Spain Spain’s dominance depended on a growing

economy focused on gold and silver from the New World, agriculture, commerce and industry

The expense of war destroyed the Spanish economy There was not enough gold and silver Direct and indirect taxes had to be levied The government was forced to borrow money 2/3 of state income was spent on paying interest

in loans

The Revolt of the Netherlands The Netherlands

(modern Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) had 17 provinces Seven northern

provinces – Germanic, Dutch speaking

b. Southern provinces – French & Flemish speaking – tied to France

The Netherlands had become prosperous through trade and were easily influenced by religion

Phillip and the Netherlands The Netherlands had become prosperous through trade and

were easily influenced by religion

Philip II was seen as a foreigner and when he tried to strengthen his control, the nobles opposed him so they would lose their political power

Residents of the Netherlands resented Philip when they realized their taxes went to pay for Spanish interests

Religion started the war when Philip attempted to restructure the Dutch Catholic church

Calvinism continued to spread and Philip repression didn’t stop it, it only alienated Calvinists

William of Nassau, prince of Orange, led the aristocrats in a revolt against the king

Phillip, can you not... Philip sent the duke of Alva with 10,000 soldier to stop the rebellion

The duke’s levying of a permanent sales tax caused merchants and commoners to join the Calvinist nobles in the rebellion

The Council of Troubles was established by the Spanish to execute powerful aristocrats that revolted

As a result, the revolution became more organized

Dutch pirates joined the resistance

Philip removed the duke of Alva and brought an end to the revolt

William of Orange almost united the 17 provinces under the Pacification of Ghent but religious differences split the united front Southern provinces – Union of Arrras (Catholic) – accepted Spanish

control

Northern provinces – Union of Utrect (Protestant) – William of Orange opposed Spanish control

1609 – a truce recognized the independence of the northern provinces which would later be known as the Dutch Republic

The England of Elizabeth After the death of Bloody Mary, Elizabeth became queen

Her religious police was based on moderation and compromise She didn’t care what the people believed privately as long as they

didn’t threaten the power of the state

1559 – Mary’s Catholic laws were repealed and Elizabeth became head of the Anglican Church with a new Act of Supremacy Catholics and Puritans still threatened religious stability in England

The Catholics dwindled to a tiny minority through Elizabeth’s ability to identify Catholicism with Spain in the minds of the English

Mary, queen of Scots, her sister was executed after many Catholic plots failed to kill Elizabeth

Puritans wanted to remove any trace of Catholicism from the Church of England

Ooh, Burn!

Unofficially Elizabeth encouraged pirates to raid Spanish ships and colonies, and aided the French Huguenots and Dutch Calvinists against the French and Spanish

The pope gave Philip II financial support to invade England and make it Catholic with army

The Armada proved to be a disaster, being battered by the English and then the weather on their return trip

England stayed a Protestant country