The Cause of The Protestant Reformation
In 1500’s the Roman Catholic was all-powerful in Europe as there was no legal alternative at the time. The Church jealously guarded its position with so much force that if anyone went against the learning’s and the ways of the church was burned at the stake and labeled as a heathen. Some of the causes for Protestant reformation were the corruption within the Catholic Church because during the time of the black plague as soon as people knew they had the plague they knew they were going to die within a 3 day period after developing the symptoms of the black plaque, so the people affected would have paid their local catholic ministers for indulgences so they were guarantied to get into heaven and not go to hell or purgatory. Martin Luther exposed this particular practice in 1517 through the 95 theses, as he was upset that people and Catholic ministers could make God over look peoples sin just by being bribed through brought indulgences.
On the 31st of October 1517 was the beginning of the reformation when Martin Luther Posted up his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Roman Catholic Church and published in Wittenberg, Germany. The Reformation Became the Basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. Luther had far-reaching political, economic and social effects. But the main question is why Martin Luther was able to successfully challenge the church of its religious and political authority? After evaluating the main reasons why Luther had success challenging the church, it is to all appearances that the circumstances were in his favour and available to him during that time. To confirm this hypothesis, the three circumstances will be examined in order for it to be correct.
Today there are many types of Protestants and Roman Catholic Churches. For example Anglicans, Lutheran, Calvinist, and there are many more, but during the sixteenth century those churches were the major reforms of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Reformations. You may ask yourself why? Well the purpose of this essay is to find out what caused the reformation, How did the reformers attempt to change the church and what where the effects on the reformation.
Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Martin Luther greatly influenced people’s views on the church as well as the state. Without their thoughts and writings the Protestant Revolution wouldn’t have had the same impact, if it had any impact at all. The ideas from these scholars influenced people to break away from the Catholic Church, revolt against leadership, and create new religions such as Lutheranism. These actions changed the course of history and religion
Three Causes of the Protestant Reformation
The sixteenth century was a time when the acts and teachings of all religions came under a great amount of scrutiny. As a result, there was a great division from the dominant Roman Catholic Church; this was known as the Protestant Reformation. There were many factors in the coming of the Reformation, but the three worthy of note are the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church, the leadership of Martin Luther, and the invention of the printing press.
The Roman Catholic Church was a strong force in sixteenth century Europe and as such became overly voracious in its desire for both political and economical power. Under Pope Leo X the church began the sale of indulgences in Mainz, Germany.
When and where the Reformation took place
The Reformation occurred all over Western Europe. It was mostly set in Germany where various parts of corruption in the Church happened. Martin Luther started the process of the Reformation, he was German so he understood how the Catholic Church took advantage and didn't think this was fair. The Catholic Reformation took place between 1450-1650 which was the biggest revolution in Germany, although the understanding of Luther's actions weren't taken notice of until he put the 95
Lasting from 1517 to 1648, the Protestant Reformation was a division of people in Western Christianity. People started to see faults in the Catholic doctrine and began to break away from the Catholic Church to form their own church groups, all of which was started by the famous Martin Luther. He believed that the Pope was not the head of the church, but that God was. He also believed that one could not be forgiven of their sins simply by giving the church money. This reformation is where we got the Protestant denomination of churches. During the Protestant Reformation, the printing press was invented, making it easier than ever to share ideas and to distribute scripture. Many wars were started as many converted to Protestantism and others still followed the Catholic Church. I will discuss my thoughts on the three videos I watched: Medici: The Medici Popes (Runtime 55:21 min), Protest and Communication (Runtime 50:05 min), and The Renaissance: When the World Was Reborn (Runtime 50:39 min).
At the turn of the 1500’s, the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, began. It’s founder, Ignatius Loyola, created this society very distinct from other orders, in its “fanatical” obedience to the pope, and requirement of education to be a practitioner in the Society. The Jesuits played a large role in counter-reformation, specifically Protestantism. The Catholic Church used the Jesuits to reclaim many of the souls lost to the heresies that abounded during that age. The Jesuits continue to serve the Church today, especially the Pope, and despite the accusation towards them, they remain a catholic organization. Loyola designed the society to be a secular representation of Jesus, taking vows of poverty and obedience, and creating constitutions to maintain the original ideas of the society, in hopes that it never strays.
During the Reformation, people questioned Catholic institutions and beliefs and many converted to Protestantism. Writings of the sixteenth century by Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, the Council of Trent, and Loyola demonstrated the popular opinions of the time regarding the Catholic and Protestant churches. If I lived at the time of the Reformation, I would have converted to Protestantism. The appeal of the new churches came from hatred of the Catholic Church institution, new Protestant ideas, and the practicality of the Protestantism.
During the Reformation, Catholic institutions and beliefs were questioned, leading many people to convert to Protestantism. Writings from the sixteenth century by Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, the Council of Trent, and Loyola demonstrated the popular opinions of the time regarding the Catholic and Protestant churches. If I were alive at the time of the Reformation, I would have converted to Protestantism. The appeal of the new churches came from hatred of the Catholic Church institution, new Protestant ideas, and the practicality of the Protestantism.