Reformation(s)

The Protestant Reformation

The Vulgate
 Official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church
 St. Jerome, translator (5th c.) Greek ---> Vulgar Latin (Everyday Language)
Problems with the Church (16th c.)
 Simony - Pay for office
 Nepotism – Getting office because you’re related to someone important
 Pluralism of Offices – Multiple people claiming to be in the same office
 Absenteeism – The bishop is never there. No show.
 Uneducated Priests – Can’t read Latin or teach about the Church
 Sale of Indulgences – Money = forgiveness
Pre-Reformation Challenges (To Papal Authority)
John Wycliffe (England 14th c.) (Posthumously humiliated by Church officials)
 Lollards (Anticlerical)
 Vernacular Bible
Jan Hus (Bohemia 15th c.) (Burned at stake)
 Challenged Church
 Practices and Doctrine
William Tyndale (1494-1536)
 Humanist
o English translation
o Hebrew and Greek
o Printing Press
o Coined many English Phrases
o “Let there be light”
 Burned at stake in Belgium
Martin Luther
 German Monk
 Priest in the Roman Catholic Church (RCC)
 He opposed Tetzel – Sale of Indulgences Purgatory
 1517 – 95 Theses
Luther’s Belief
  Sola Scriptura (translate to “Scripture Alone”)
o as long as convenient
 Sola Fide (translate to “Faith alone”)
 Priesthood of Believers – Everyone should have the Bible and connection
 The Spirit – The above works because of the Holy Spirit
 Printing Press – Used to spread his word/teachings, etc.
Charles V
Habsburg Dynasty
 King of Spain
 Duke of Burgundy
 Holy Roman Emperor
 Devout Catholic
Frederick of Saxony
 Luther relied on his patron, Frederick, Elector of Saxony, for protection from his
enemies.
The Politics of Reformation
Diet of worms (1521)
 Made Luther an outlaw
Peace of Augsburg (1555)
 Peace between Lutheran Princes & Charles V
Cuius regio, eius religio – His rule, His religion
German Peasants’ Revolt

The Radical Reformation

Urlich Zwingli
 Switzerland
 Clerical Marriage
 Memorial
o Transubstantiation (He doesn’t believe in this)
o Consubstantiation (He doesn’t believe in this)
 Split with Luther
o Divided Protestantism
Calvinism
  John Calvin (1509-1564)
o Geneva, Switzerland
o Radical Reformation/Reformed Christianity
 Calvinist Doctrine
o Institutes of the Christian Religion (Originally in Latin)
o Sovereignty of God
o Predestination Elect
 The “Five Points” of Calvinist Theology
o Total Depravity - of Human Beings
o Unconditional Election - God’s mercy alone
o Limited Atonement - Elect
o Irresistable Grace - Resistance is futile
o Perseverance of the Saints - “Eternal security”

Arminianism
 Jacobus Arminius - Dutch Reformed Theologian
 Five articles of Remonstrance:
o The divine decree of predestination is conditional, not absolute.
o The Atonement is in intentional universal.
o Man cannot of himself exercise a saving faith.
o Though the grace of God is a necessary condition of human effort it does not act
irresistibly in man.
o Believers are able to resist sin but are not beyond the possibility of falling from
grace.
Calvinism cont.
 Radical Reformation/Reformed Christianity
 Iconoclasm – Removal of statues, paintings, etc., from churches
 Plain clothes
Calvinism outside Switzerland
 Scotland
o Presbyterians
o John Knox
 England
o Puritans
o Separatists
 France
o Huguenots

Anabaptists
  Inner Light
 Believer’s Baptism
o “Baptize Again”
 Religious Freedom
o Church | State
 Sola Scriptura
 Amish, etc.
Counter-Reformation
 Council of Trent
o 1545-1563
o (Three sessions)
 Affirmed Catholic Doctrine:
o Scripture
o Tradition
o Magisterium
 Authority of Bishops and Pope
 Ignatius of Loyola
o Knight/Priest
 “Society of Jesus”
o (Jesuits)
 Religious order with a military hierarchy organized to oppose the reformation
 “Foot soldiers of the Pope”
**More diversity in Europe around 1560

The English Reformation

Henry VIII
 Defense of the Seven Sacraments
o 1521
o Against Luther
 “Defender of the Faith”
o Papal Title
The Church of England
Catherine of Aragon
Annulment
Pope: “NO!”
Consanguinity
  Act of Supremacy, 1534
o King supreme head of Church of England
 Reformation Parliament
o Put the church in the King’s hands (1531)
o “Big Changes” had to go through parliament
 Monasteries Dissolved
 Property Confiscation
 Thomas Moore (Utopia)
o “But sir we’re Catholic?”
o Executed promptly
 Edward VI
o Crowned at age 9
o Protestant
o Sickly
 Died at age 16
o Protestantism Established
 Thomas Cranmer
o Archbishop of Canterbury
 Highest CoE Official
o Reforms:
 Book of Common Prayer
 Clerical Celibacy
o Martyred by “Bloody Mary”
 “Bloody Mary”
o Restored Catholicism
o “BBQ Protestant”
o About 300 dead
 Elizabeth I
o Restored CoE after Mary’s 5 year reign
o Expelled Jesuits
o Elizabethan Settlement

The Wars of Religion (1560s-1648)

Civil War in France (1562-1598)
The Valois Family: The beginning of the End
 Henri II was the last powerful Valois
 3 weak sons followed:
o Francis II
o Charles IX
 o Henri III
 Catherine de Medici controlled the sons:
 Was mother to the boys
 Played Both sides in the civil war
 Developed a reputation for cruelty
The French Civil War
 There were 2 sides:
o Guise family led Catholics in North
o Bourbon family led Huguenots in South
o Fighting for the royal inheritance
 Catherine supported the Guises in the first phase.
 St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
o August 24, 1572
o 20,000 Huguenots were killed
o Henri of Navarre, a Bourbon, survived
 Catherine started supporting the Bourbons.
 Henry of Navarre defeated Catholic League & becomes Henry IV of France.
 Effects of Civil War:
o France was left divided by religion
o Royal power had weakened
o Valois family now replaced by Bourbons
Henry IV of France
 Ended Spanish interference in France
 Converted to Catholicism:
o “Paris is worth a mass.”
o This is what an example of politique [the interest of the state comes first before
any religious considerations]
 Passed Edict of Nantes in 1598
o Granted religious rights to Huguenots
o Did not grant religious freedom for all
The 30 Years War
Characteristics:
 The Holy Roman Empire was the battleground
 At the beginning  it was the Catholics vs the Protestants
 At the end  it was Habsburg power that was threatened
 Resolved by the treaty of Westphalia in 1648
I. The Bohemian Phase
 Ferdinand II inherited Bohemia
o The Bohemians hated him
o Ferdinand refused to tolerate Protestants
o Defenestration of Prague  May 1618
 Bohemia named a new king, Frederick II
 Catholic League vs Protestant Union
o Catholic: Ferdinand II (Habsburg/Holy Roman Emperor)
o Protestant: Prince Frederick II
o Battle of White Mountain
o Decisive Catholic Victory
II. The Danish Phase: 1625-1629
 Ferdinand II tried to end all resistance.
o Tried to crush Protestant northern Holy Roman Empire.
o Ferdinand II used Albrecht von Wallenstein for the army.
o Wallenstein defeated Protestants in north.
 Edict of Restitution (1629):
o Restored to Catholics all lands lost since 1552.
o Deprived all Protestants, except Lutherans, of their religion and political rights.
 German princes feared Ferdinand  he fired Wallenstein in effort to calm them.
III. Swedish Phase
 Gustavus Adolphus (King of Sweden)
 Cardinal Richelieu (First Minister of France)
The Swedish Phase: 1630-1635
 France & Sweden now get involved.
o Both want to stop Habsburg power.
o Sweden led the charge.
o France provided financial support.
 Gustavus Adolphus invaded the HR Empire.
o Successful General
o Decisive victory at Breitenfeld
o Costly victory at Lutzen
 RIP Gustavus Adolphus
Phase II: Catholics 2, Protestants 1

IV. The French Phase: 1635-1648

  France & Sweden switched roles.
 All countries in Europe now participated.
 This phase was most destructive!
o German towns very brutally pillaged – a lot
o Agriculture collapsed  famine resulted.
o 8 million dead  1/3 of the population [from 21 million in 1618 to 13.5 million
in 1648]
o Caused massive inflation.
o Trade was crippled throughout Europe.

The Peace of Westphalia (1648)

 Political Provisions:
o Each German prince became free from any kind of control by the HR emperor.
o The United Provinces [Dutch Neths.] became officially independent  Southern
part remained a Spanish possession.
o France rcvd. Most of the Ger-speaking province of Alsace.
o Sweden  got coastal lands in N. Germany
o Switzerland became totally independent of the HR Emperor  Swiss
Confederation.
o Brandenburg gained territories.
 Religious Provisions:
o Calvinists would have the same privileges as the Lutherans had in the Peace of
Augsburg.
o The ruler of each state could determine its official religion, but [except in the
hereditary lands of the Habsburg], he must permit freedom of private worship.
Nobody was Happy!
 Many Protestants felt betrayed.
 The Pope denounced it.
 Only merit  it ended the fighting in a war that became intolerable!