Why were people willing to die for

their beliefs in the 16th Century?

Introduction to the
Reformation
What did people believe in the 16th
Century?
• Catholics and Protestants believed that
each other were going to hell
• Protestants believed that the Catholic
Church had changed Christianity
• Each tried to convince the other to change
religions in order to save their souls from
Hell.
• Hell was a place of everlasting torture.
What did people believe in the 16th
Century?
• Catholics believed that the Catholic
Church had the authority of God.
• Protestants believed the Bible alone + the
person’s conscious had the authority of
God
• Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Source A
 Source C

Who has been sent to Hell in this Source?

Why were there mass murders of
both Catholics & Protestants?
• Members of each faith believed that they
could save peoples’ souls by getting them
to change religion through torture.
• Many times the killing took place for
political and not religious reasons
• People were convinced that the other side
was the wrong side.
French Catholics Murdering
Protestants in Paris
• How has the artist
made the painting look
horrific?
• Was the artist a
Catholic or a
Protestant? Why?
Source B
 English “Martyrs”

• The execution of William Tyndale in 1536. He was

executed for translating the Bible into English.
Cuthbert Simmons
All you have to do is become a
Catholic for the pain to stop.
What effect did the “Burning of the Martyrs”
have during Mary’s Reign?
‘We shall this day light
such a candle, by God’s
Grace in England, as I
trust shall never be put
out’
 Extended Writing
• Why were people willing to die for their
beliefs?
• Remember to include:
• Peoples’ beliefs about Hell
• Why were people afraid to change their religion?

Illustrate your answer with a diagram of someone being burnt

to death with a thought bubble to show why they were willing
to die for their beliefs
The Reformation
 Who exactly was this “Pope” Guy?
• Leader of the Roman
Catholic Church
• First bishop among other
Bishops
• “it is necessary for
salvation that every
human creature be
subject to the Roman
Pontiff.”
• Decides what Christian
doctrine is
• Interprets the bible for all
Christians
What were some of the problems in
the Catholic Church?
• Between 1305-1378 it was confusing who
was the real pope
• People could buy their way into the
priesthood
• Selling of indulgences
• Lack of faith by priests,
peasants highly religious
• The Papacy was
highly corrupt
 Why did people start to doubt the
Church?
• The Pope and many priests were greedy
and corrupt
• The power of the Church was not able to
stop the plague from spreading
• Christianity was already split between the
East and the West
• The Church made people pay heavy fines