The Reformation

Causes of the Reformation

•Financial corruption, Abuse of power, Immorality•Unfair taxation•Sale of indulgences

Financial Corruption, Abuse of Power, and Immorality•Church officials took 10% of

what people made as ____• The church charged for

everything from _______, to marriage, and even funerals•Officials used church positions

for financial and _______ gain

Financial Corruption, Abuse of Power, and Immorality

“ We Italian’s are irreligious and corrupt above others, because the Church and her representatives set us the worst example” ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

• Church officials openly broke church laws by getting married, ________, and drinking

Unfair taxation

•Took money from the ______ and ______ class •Spent large sums on artwork and building projects•Sistine Chapel•St. Peter’s Basilica•Papal palace

Typical Medieval Home

Papal Palace – Pope’s Private residence

Sistine Chapel – Private Chapel for Pope and Cardinals

St. Peter’s Basilica

Sale of Indulgences

• Pope Leo X approved the sale of __________in order to pay for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.• Catholics at the time believed

that their soul would spend time in __________to pay for the sins they committed on Earth before they would go to heaven.

Sale of Indulgences

• An indulgence allowed people to pay _______in order to have their _______erased and their time in purgatory lessened.

• They essentially paid the church for a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. The worse the offense, the more money you paid.

Early Reformers• John Wycliffe - 1374• Lived in England• Encouraged Catholic Church to

give up it’s worldly possessions•Got in trouble and was asked to

leave his teaching position

Early Reformers• Jan Hus - 1405• Lived in Czechslovakia• Called church officials immoral and worldly

(greedy)• Pope Leo X accuses him of heresy and

excommunicates him from the church• He is sentenced to death and burned at the

stake.

1. In 1517, he openly criticizes the Catholic Church over their sale of indulgences

2. Does this by posting 95 theses on the church door at Wittenberg

3. He says indulgences were sinful and had no power to remit sin.

4. Also questioned the power of the Pope and the wealth of the church

•These theses were written in Latin, and were meant for other church scholars and officials, not the public.•Luther’s ideas become popular in Germany

What separates Luther from earlier church reformers like John Wycliffe or Jan Hus?

John Wycliffe (1374)

Jan Hus (1405)

Printing Press(1450)

Martin Luther (1517)

The printing press makes it possible for Luther’s ideas to spread rapidly throughout Europe.

•Martin Luther is ordered to appear before the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, at the Diet of Worms in 1520•He is excommunicated•The Edict of Worms makes Luther a criminal and bans his writings.

• After the Edict of Worms, Martin Luther translates the Bible into German and the printing press will make the Holy Bible accessible to everyone for the first time in Christian history• This leads to increased

European literacy, and encourages many more people to split from the Catholic Church besides the Lutherans.

• Luther’s reforms create the Protestant religions because they were a “protest” against the abuses and wealth of the Catholic Church.• Other notable Protestant

reformers• Huldrych Zwingli• John Calvin• John Knox• Anabaptists

Huldrych Zwingli• He creates a theocracy in Switzerland.• A theocracy is a form of government where the

church and state are the same. The authority of the government comes from God.• He is killed in a battle against Catholic armies.

John Calvin• He believes in predestination. When

people are born, they are either destined for heaven or hell, and there is nothing that they can do about it.• Starts the Calvinists in Switzerland.

Anabaptists•They don’t believe in baptizing children. •This is a direct violation of Catholic Church law.

Before Reformation

After Reformation

•The Catholic Church responds to the Protestant Reformation by working to reform itself.•This is known as the Counter Reformation.

•Ignatius of Loyola founds an order of monks known as the Jesuits•They work to reform the church by starting schools and universities•Spread education and get many Catholics to return to the church

• In 1545 Pope Paul III calls the Council of Trent.• They meet to addresses the abuses of the Catholic

Church pointed out by Martin Luther.• The council will stop the sale of indulgences.

•Church also starts the Inquisition• It is a church court that

tried people who were accused of being Protestants or breaking church laws•Used torture and burning

at the stake to punish people who were found guilty