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The impact Henry VIII had on England
Course and aftermath of the Protestant Reformation
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16th century Europe was not a time of widespread religious toleration. Though many groups were subject to vicious persecution, the struggle of the Protestants is especially notable, as it is among the most infamous and completely altered the course of Europe’s history. Though persecution of Protestants was widespread throughout the continent, their continued abuse was greatly propelled and endorsed by prominent members of the powerful Habsburg dynasty such as Charles V, Philip II and Ferdinand II, whose main objective was to eliminate Protestantism completely. The Habsburgs sought to eliminate worldwide Protestantism by attempting to silence the driving force behind the Protestant Reformation and later warring with Protestant princes, presumptuously invading Protestant countries and authorizing the executions of hundreds and finally, retracting toleration legislation along with pursuing a major religious war. Though his most …show more content…
During his time as ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1519 to 1556, Charles V was faced with the rising popularity of Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses, written in 1517, which set the ground work for his form of Protestantism, Lutheranism. This shift, from ruling over a solely Catholic empire to one which served as the birthplace of the Protestant Reformation troubled Charles V greatly and motivated him to take action against Luther and the spread of Protestant ideas. He did so by summoning Luther to renounce his views in front of an Imperial Diet. The Diet of Worms, as it is called, took place in 1521 and was Charles V’s attempt to silence Luther’s influence in his empire and by doing so,
As a result, Luther burned the letter and other papal documents. Then in 1521, Luther was asked to attend the Diet of Worms, where he would recant what he had written. Once again, he refused. He was strong to his beliefs. Unlike Henry VIII, Luther was not selfish in reforming the Church. For instance, the peasants were one of Luther’s major supporters. They had a list of demands that Luther would try to resolve. He initially backed them up but in 1525 when they turned to violence in a revolt, he exhorted the nobles to slaughter them. Luther could have had all of those supporters who admired him, but instead, he had them slaughtered. Although he could have had the support, he believed violence was not the answer. No matter how many supporters he could have has, his beliefs were always put first. Overall, Martin Luther wanted to reform the Church to create a more simple Christian life as it was in the
The Act of Supremacy 1559 arguably was a key turning point in the relationship between Church and State in the 16th century because most of the changes it introduced were permanent. However, it could be said that it was not the only factor which contributed to the changing relations as the Act of Supremacy 1534, the role of key individuals and the changes under Edwards reigns played a significant role. This implies that the changing relationship between the Church and state in the 16th century was not a consequence of Act of Supremacy 1559 but all of them together.
He was the man that formed the base of the Protestant Reformation. Luther knew he had to take action on this convictions immediately. So on behalf of the rebellion against indulgences and other Catholic doctrine, Luther created a “ Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” or more commonly known as “The 95 Theses.” The 95 Theses were a list of topics to discuss and propose the idea of indulgences. Or as some people would say to protest the sale of the indulgences of the Roman Catholic Church. The main seller of these indulgences was a man named John Tetzel who had promised the Christians that by paying they were “instantly” saved from sin. Legend says that on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were nailed onto the doors of the Wittenberg Castle Church. Luther knew that this revolt was not violent, but was only intended to educate
In politics, the interest of nations was centered on religion. Monarchs aligned themselves based on religious belief and fought wars against those who worshiped differently. In Spain, King Phillip II waged war against the Islamic Ottoman Empire in an attempt to stop the spread of Islam in Western Europe and further spread Catholicism. Spain, the most powerful nation in Western Europe during the late 16th century also tried to interfere in French royal succession when Henry IV, a protestant, was to ascend to the throne. A fact that underscores the role of religion is that fighting between Spain and France continued even after Henry IV converted to Catholicism. Another example of relationships affected by the difference in religion is the strained relationships, which eventually lead to armed conflict, Spain had with England and the Netherland, two protestant nations. Elizabeth who ruled England, herself experienced discord with her Puritan subjects who felt that the differences between the Protestant Anglican Church and the Catholic Church were not distinct enough. This same fanaticism resulted in Elizabeth ordering the execution of Mary Queen of Scotts in order to extinguish Catholic hopes of rule, which her life and position in line to the throne gave Catholics in England. Religious tolerance was rare. During the late 16th century, the Netherlands were the only nation to have a policy of tolerance. The Dutch benefit from this tolerant policy as it attracts people of various religious backgrounds, creating fertile ground for commerce. During the scientif...
...t proved to be the most predominant factor that caused much of the violence seen throughout Europe. While it is usually not favored by many authoritative figures, the establishment of some sort of religious toleration law would prove to resolve many of the religious conflicts within the European countries. Examples of this such as the Edict of Nantes and the Toleration Act proved to be effective since there were little to no religious uprisings under their enforcement. In addition, the government or authoritative ruler could enact a law to punish those who persecute others based on their religion. If these two suggestions were taken into account earlier on in the sixteenth century, the violence of the seventeenth century would have been greatly reduced. More importantly, however, these solutions can be used to prevent future religious violent acts from happening.
The period immediately following the Protestant reformation and the Catholic counter reformation, was full of conflict and war. The entire continent of Europe and all of it's classes of society were affected by the destruction and flaring tempers of the period. In the Netherlands, the Protestants and the Catholics were at eachother’s throats. In France it was the Guise family versus the Bourbons. In Bohemia, the religious and political structures caused total havoc for over thirty years; and in England, the Presbyterians thought that the English Anglican Church too closely resembled the Roman Catholic Church. Religion was the major cause of the widespread turmoil that took place throughout Europe between 1560 and 1660.
The 16th century was a time of social, political, and religious change in Europe. The Protestant
The centuries of the 14th, 15th, and the early 16th, are filled with the Reformation and the effects of it; along with war, which was one of the effects of the Reformation. The Reformation caused Protestantism to come about, which greatly affected and caused many wars, such as the Schmalkaldic wars, in which the result was that the leader could decide the religion of their region. This ability would give more absolute power and control to the ruler of a country. These events and others gave away to the emergence of Absolutism, which is the belief that God appoints kings to rule over people and to control all aspects of the government, with no other authority above him, beside God. Absolutist rulers, Louis XIV of France and Philip II of Spain,
The protestant reformation of 16th century had both: immediate and long term effects. Thus, we can see that it was a revolution of understanding the essence of religion, and of what God is. The protestant reformation is said to a religious movement. However, it also influenced the economical, political and social life of people. The most global, short term effect of the reformation was the reevaluation of beliefs, and, as a result, the loss of authority of the Holy Roman Empire. The long term effects were: the emergence of new heretical movements, the declining of papacy, thus the reevaluation of people’s view on the church and life values.
The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century is one of the most complex movements in European history since the fall of the Roman Empire. The Reformation truly ends the Middle Ages and begins a new era in the history of Western Civilization. The Reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and ushered in 150 years of religious warfare. By the time the conflicts had ended, the political and social geography in the west had fundamentally changed. The Reformation would have been revolutionary enough of itself, but it coincided in time with the opening of the Western Hemisphere to the Europeans and the development of firearms as effective field weapons. It coincided, too, with the spread of Renaissance ideals from Italy and the first stirrings of the Scientific Revolution. Taken together, these developments transformed Europe.
Martin Luther’s (1483-1546) actions and teachings have had a profound influence on Christian faith. His crucial decision to go on a pilgrimage to Rome (1510) enabled him to witness and act against the objectionable corruption of the Catholic Church. Luther’s teachings developed through his work at Wittenburg University where his revolutionary theology evolved from the examination of the New Testament. On 31 October 1517 Martin Luther posted the controversial 95 Thesis, condemning the corruption of the Church and sharing his beliefs and ideas such as the 5 solas. Luther started a religious revolution that resulted in the formation of a new variant of Christianity that had changes to the expression of faith and key beliefs. This Protestant Church
Martin Luther was a friar very devoted to the Church but after analyzing all these aspects he decided to do something about it. On October 31, 1517 he attached to the door of Wittenberg Castle a list of 95 theses or propositions on indulgences. These theses criticized papal policies and were objections about he church put on hold for discussion.
Before the 16th century Protestant Reformation, Christianity it Europe was in a questionable and somewhat corrupt state. During the mid 15th century central and western Europe was set up in the form of a hierarchy, which was headed by the pope. At this period in time the pope claimed all spiritual authority over Christians, as well as political authority over all inhabitants of the Papal States. In addition to the claims the pope made, the church also owned close to one-fourth of the land in Europe that lead to a strong centralization of papal authority. Close to all of the Europeans at this time were Christian and would pay taxes directly to the church as a result of this ownership. European Christians were taught in their upbringing that without the guidance and rituals of the priests and the church, there would be no path for them to salvation. Despite the church attempting to teach morality among members, the clergy started to become greedy and full of corruption that fueled their desire for ...
The Holy Roman Empire was an empire in central Europe consisting of many territories and ethnicities. Once very powerful, the empire’s authority slowly decreased over centuries and by the Middle Ages the emperor was little more than a figurehead, allowing princes to govern smaller sections of the empire. Though the various ruling princes owed loyalty to the emperor, they were also granted a degree of independence and privileges. The emperor, an elected monarch, needed the allegiance of the princes and other aristocracy to support him, in turn giving them power or money. This tenuous allegiance between powers was greatly strained in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as religious reform dominated Europe and religious tensions divided the empire. Beginning in the sixteenth century, the empire’s power significantly declined because of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation split the empire’s states into Protestant and Catholic divisions, straining the peace between territories. Though the relationship between the princes and the emperor had already been tenuous, the princes, seeing the religious divisions, sensed weakness in the empire and further challenged imperial authority. The Holy Roman emperors battled Protestant princes in Germany into the seventeenth century, where tensions were still high from the Reformation and wars of religion – initially contained to the German territories – began to include other territories and states. As more European states joined the conflict, the Holy Roman Empire continued to deteriorate. From the early sixteenth to the mid seventeenth century, the Holy Roman Empire’s power declined greatly because of its internal religious rifts, conflicts (in particular the Thirty Years War, whic...
Luther turned against the university and began to write the 95 Theses, which question the Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences. Martin Luther nailed them on the door at Wittenburg Castle Church. This spread like wildfire, all across Europe as pamphlets were being printed one after another. Just like in the movie Luther, The pope did not agree with Martin’s writings and called him to the Diet of Worms to discuss the writings that he had written. At the Diet of Worms, Luther refused to recant his writings before the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Germany. Martin states in front of the catholic church, “Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason.. I will not recant. My conscious is captive to the word of God” (Luther). Luther stood for what he believed and he did not care if anyone did not agree with his writings. Martin states at the beginning of the 95 theses, “Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter” (Luther, 95 Theses). This scene in the movie is described true to what history tells us. It is one of the