The Protestant Reformation Marshall High School Western Civilization II Mr. Cline Unit Two LB
The Reformation Hits Europe Luther may have sparked a revolution, but there were others involved in its spread. Johannes Reuchlin encouraged the study of Hebrew and Greek to allow people to read the Bible in its original languages. This furthered the idea that each person was capable and responsible for determining his or her religious strength. People no longer had to rely on the clergy to interpret the scripture. In Switzerland, Huldrych Zwingli, who held very similar views to Luther, helped spread the Reformation. In England, John Colet tried to reform the Church from within by translating the Bible into English, a practice that was strictly forbidden at the time.
The Reformation Hits Europe The Reformation spread quickly in Denmark and Sweden, where Protestantism eventually became the official religion. In Switzerland, the ideas of Luther were modified slightly by a Frenchman named John Calvin. His ideas were known as Calvinism. Calvinism's major difference from Lutheranism was the belief that people were predestined to go to Heaven or Hell after death. Other countries also developed their own ideas regarding Protestantism. In Scotland, Protestants were known as Presbyterians. In France, Calvinists were known as Huguenots.
The Reformation Hits Europe In England, Anglicanism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism were all popular. The Reformation did not become as popular in southern countries like Spain, Italy, and Portugal where Catholicism is still the most popular religion. Peasant uprisings spread from Germany to present-day Austria As people began to feel freedom from the authority of the Church, they hungered for freedom from the oppression of their landlords and nobles. Peasants began to revolt against their oppressors, claiming the same divine right that gave Luther the right to rebel. Some peasants even built armies to support them.
Peasant uprisings spread from Germany to present-day Austria These uprisings are known as the Peasant Wars, and although many peasants participated in these uprisings, they didn't have firm leadership. Uprisings took place in various areas. It began in southwestern areas in Germany and spread into what is now Austria. The peasant armies lacked an overall structure and adequate weaponry. Many of the fighters had no experience in military or war tactics. The lack of discipline and organization led to the loss of many peasant lives. During the wars, monasteries were burned down and their possessions stolen or destroyed.
Peasant uprisings spread from Germany to present-day Austria Peasants also attacked the nobles, destroying much of their land and homes. After taking over the town of Weinsberg, the peasants captured the castle and forced the ruling Count and about 70 other nobles to run a gauntlet of pikes, which meant to run between two lines of men with swords continuously attacking their victims. However, at Frankenhausen, thousands of peasants faced a prince's army along with mercenaries. Without adequate weaponry and leadership, thousands of peasants were slaughtered. The nobles became more reliant upon the ruling princes who may have been the only beneficiaries of the wars. As the Peasant Wars came to an end, the peasants were again placed under strict regulations by their oppressors.
Peasant uprisings spread from Germany to present-day Austria Luther admired the peasants for their ceaseless work in a harsh economy. He offered strict criticism to nobles for the unjust way they treated their workers. The peasant uprisings were condemned by Luther, however, who was against the violent acts of the peasants. Peasants claimed they had biblical authority to demand economic reform, but Luther also disagreed with this claim. He became so disgusted with the violence of the uprising he encouraged German princes to defeat the peasants to protect their authority. The peasants felt betrayed by Luther, and many abandoned the efforts of the Reformation altogether and returned to Catholicism.
Peasant uprisings spread from Germany to present-day Austria While Luther withdrew his support of the peasant uprising, the peasants did find support in a well-known Protestant minister named Thomas Müntzer. Müntzer was very supportive of the rights of the peasants and travelled across German provinces to encourage the rebels. Luther, accordingly, also made it known he disagreed with Müntzer's ideals. The Peace of Augsburg While the peasants in Germany were revolting, Charles V's empire was facing much unrest. Between 1546 and 1547, Charles V fought against the Schmalkaldic League. They were a group of people who formed an alliance to collectively defend their territories against Charles.
The Peace of Augsburg Although Charles defeated the peasants, he still needed to address the unrest caused by the Reformation. The Reformation Spreads to Switzerland A treaty known as the Peace of Augsburg was eventually signed in 1555. This treaty gave the ruler of each German state the right to pick his own religion (Catholicism or Protestantism) as the official religion of his territory. This brought a temporary religious peace to Germany. Many people in Switzerland were also dissatisfied with corruption in the church. The selling of indulgences led to wealth that contributed to demoralization in the clergy.
The Reformation Spreads to Switzerland Official duties were delegated to others who had not been educated. And, as the ideals of Luther spread, the unhappy laypeople of Switzerland joined in the demand for reform and discipline. At the forefront of this movement was Huldrych Zwingli. Zwingli agreed with Luther that the Catholic Church emphasized the administration of sacraments, which were rituals that would affect God's grace on a person. However, while Luther said that church tradition was not overtly contrary to the Bible, Zwingli said that every ritual that was not mentioned specifically in the Bible should be abolished. This included five of the seven sacraments currently practiced by Catholics. Zwingli upheld the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist.
The Reformation Spreads to Switzerland Luther and Zwingli also disagreed on the interpretation of the Eucharist (or communion). They both agreed the sacrament should be practiced and disagreed with the Catholic idea that the bread and wine turned into Jesus' blood and body during the ritual. Also known as transsubstantiation. Luther believed that Jesus was physically present in all things and, therefore, already present in the bread and wine used. Zwingli, on the other hand, believed this was practiced simply as a memorial, and that physical objects could not hold the presence of a holy being like Jesus. Zwingli and Luther did both agree the sacrament of baptism was necessary. Zwingli believed baptism was needed in infancy and only needed once for salvation. This was in conflict with a group called the Anabaptists.
The Reformation Spreads to Switzerland Anabaptists believed children should not be baptized and allowed adults who had been baptized as children to be rebaptized. Zwingli believed the claims of the Anabaptists had no scriptural basis and that they were adding to the scripture. Zwingli held that baptism was a covenant with God rather than a promise to live without sin, as the Anabaptists believed. The Anabaptists would eventually morph into the Christian sect we refer to as the Amish today. Zwingli also believed that the church and the state should govern together because all were under the rule of one god. He believed the government could help a person live honorably but could not make a person righteous in God's eyes.
The Reformation Spreads to Switzerland Calvin This was why, according to Zwingli, the church is needed along with the government. Zwingli's views were popularly accepted by many in places like Zurich and Basel, but some places remained predominantly Catholic. The disagreement between these areas would eventually lead to civil war, and Zwingli eventually died on the battlefield in 1531. Another leader in the reformation movement in Switzerland was a French jurist named John Calvin. He was banished from Paris because of his beliefs. He travelled to Geneva, where he met other Protestant leaders. Calvin was responsible for spreading another form of Protestantism called Calvinism.
Calvin Calvin strongly believed in predestination, which is the idea that God has already determined the eternal fate of each person before birth. Calvin believed the actions people took had no weight on whether they would go to heaven or hell. This eliminated the need for Catholic practices such as confession and performing sacraments. Despite this belief, Calvin did support the act of infant baptism as a covenant with God. Calvin also supported the practice of the Eucharist. However, his beliefs were somewhere between those of Luther and Zwingli.
Calvin Rather than Jesus' body and blood being physically present during the Eucharist or being completely absent, he believed Jesus was spiritually present in these elements - meaning when a person received the physical bread, that person was receiving the spiritual body of Christ. Calvin created a strict system of discipline and enforced it heavily. He also worked to separate the church from politics in an attempt to return to purity within religion. Rather than supporting church and state under one supreme ruler (God) as Zwingli did, Calvin believed there should be a strict governing body within the church. Church discipline was maintained by the consistory, which was a council of preachers and laypeople elected in each district. The consistory's power was limited to church-related punishment.
Calvin For example, serious offenders could be excommunicated from the church. However, the council was able to suggest civil punishments to the city's government. The suggestions were often followed. Calvinism and the Huguenots Followers of Calvin's belief system were known as Calvinists. Protestants who were inspired by Calvinism in France were known as Huguenots.