There is no single, simple cause one can point to as to why the men like Martin Luther succeeded in launching a thriving Reformation while men with similar insights in previous generations had, at best, accomplished only local and temporary reform movements. Luther, a pastor and professor at the University of Wittenberg, deplored the entanglement of God’s free gift of grace in a complex system of indulgences and good works. John Calvin was the most important figure in the second generation of the Reformation, and his interpretation of Christianity, known as Calvinism, deeply influenced many areas of Protestant thought. For further treatment of the Reformation, see Protestantism, history of. Who Made it Happen? This led Luther to post 95 theses on the church door to invite academic debate on the subject. Protestant Reformation Causes: The Protestant Reformation began in 1517 and challenged the Catholic Church's authority on a number of fronts. While he did not intend to break with the Catholic church, a confrontation with the papacy was not long in coming. PLAY. In spite of its political implications, the reorganization of the church permitted the beginning of religious change in England, which included the preparation of a liturgy in English, the Book of Common Prayer. For a discussion of the religious doctrine, see Protestantism. Death was also being dealt out by inquisitors in rapidly increasing numbers. A: The Reformation happened for two main reasons. Still, while the big picture is large and complex, the central factors are fairly clear: The Reformation began in the early 16th century. The Reformation was a clash of two opposed schemes of salvation. For any reformation to matter, it couldn't be a mere moral tweaking of things. The spread of Protestantism in areas that had previously been Roman Catholic had far … This diminished the political power and influence of certain lords and monasteries while giving rise to a merchant class,2 on the one hand, and to stronger monarchies on the other,3 who were able to more completely consolidate their power unchecked by the weakening lords. and find homework help for other History questions at eNotes Thus, it is all of Him and nothing of us. His followers became known as Protestants. One reason why Protestant reformation started in Bohemia was a deep crisis (economic, social, national, political) of the late medieval society and the Archbishopric seat of Prague was a major destabilizing factor in the kingdom. He saw four major discrepancies between what the Church was teaching and what Scripture actually taught Huldrych Zwingli built a Christian theocracy in Zürich in which church and state joined for the service of God. However, he found a more positive place for law within the Christian community than did Luther. Omissions? Calvin’s tradition merged eventually with Zwingli’s into the Reformed tradition, which was given theological expression by the (second) Helvetic Confession of 1561. The Reformation led to the reformulation of certain basic tenets of Christian belief and resulted in the division of Western Christendom between Roman Catholicism and the new Protestant traditions. Updates? Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. There is some evidence of anticlericalism, but the church at large enjoyed loyalty as it had before. We come to God, not through pious effort and personal righteousness, but in helpless trust that Jesus is enough. The desire for reform within the Catholic Church had started before the spread of Luther. It was a split in the Catholic Church where a new type of Christianity called Protestantism was born. The socalled “material” cause was the debate over sola fide (“justification by faith alone”). The Reformation began in Germany in 1517 because an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther, who lived in Germany, wrote "95 Theses" protesting the Pope's selling indulgences. Luther knew he was sinful. Jesus died the death we deserve to serve our sentence and take our punishment. Life in Europe was far from stable, which can create both an openness to new ideas and a yearning to return to old ones. What political and social factors contributed to its success?' This was a time when the whole world was changing. Still, it was obvious that what was calling itself the "one true church of Jesus Christ" was not exemplifying oneness, truthfulness, nor Jesus Christ. The spread of Protestantism in areas that had previously been Roman Catholic had far-reaching political, economic, and social effects. STUDY. Finally, the recent invention of the printing press made it possible for ideas to spread and literacy to swell in a manner never before possible. Jesus lived a perfect life and offers us His own merit and righteousness. The Catholic Reformation was the intellectual counter-force to Protestantism. Read next: What Was the Reformation and Why Did it Happen, Part 2: An Explosion of Ideas. Initially, the Protestant reformers maintained the hope that they could accomplish the reformation of the doctrine and life of the church from within, but this proved impossible because of the intransigence of the church, the polemic of the Protestant movements, or the political and…, …what differentiated him from previous reformers was that they attacked the life of the church while he confronted its doctrine. The Reformation popularized the use of comic strips as a form of propaganda. Flashcards. In Scotland, John Knox, who spent time in Geneva and was greatly influenced by John Calvin, led the establishment of Presbyterianism, which made possible the eventual union of Scotland with England. Known as Socinians, after the name of their founder, they established flourishing congregations, especially in Poland. As Luther embraced the biblical gospel of grace and studied the Scriptures, such things appeared inconsistent with the revealed word of God. Cram.com makes it easy to get the grade you want! Other figures included Pope Leo X, who excommunicated Luther; the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, who essentially declared war on Protestantism; Henry VIII, king of England, who presided over the establishment of an independent Church of England; and Huldrych Zwingli, a Swiss reformer. Religious changes that happened in Europe in the 16th Century. Whereas they denounced the sins of churchmen, he was disillusioned by the whole scholastic scheme of redemption. The idea that the Reformation introduced schism into an otherwise unified church is a laughable claim. Spell. Medieval Catholic worship was centred on the Mass, the church's offering of the sacrifice of … Write. The nations were groaning for a reformation, but ironically, Martin Luther was not originally setting out to provide one. There are numerous factor's which, in God's providence, came together to spark this biblical movement and allow it to spread and flourish. This alone was quickly leading to a wide variety of changes, from the goods people used to their grander view of the world and their plac… Why did the Reformation happen? This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Reformation, History World - History of the Reformation, PBS LearningMedia - The Protestant Reformation | Inside the Court of Henry VIII, Reformation - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Reformation - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Another important form of Protestantism (as those protesting against their suppressions were designated by the Diet of Speyer in 1529) is Calvinism, named for John Calvin, a French lawyer who fled France after his conversion to the Protestant cause. Its greatest leaders undoubtedly were Martin Luther and John Calvin. Terms in this set (11) What was the Reformation? This is a huge subject, I shall try to highlight some things that you can look for, but Quora is hardly the suitable place to fully answer such a question. The resulting intrigues and political manipulations, combined with the church’s increasing power and wealth, contributed to the bankrupting of the church as a spiritual force. It needed to be a return to the word of God. Why did the Protestant Reformation happen? The … at Cram.com. The high death tolls of the middle ages had completely re-shaped life and values in Europe, but the Reformation came just afterward during a time of optimism when life was being rebuilt throughout the continent. Many more examples could be given, but this should be enough to demonstrate that while the unity of all Christendom under the Pope was a theory in which many in Western Europe believed, it was far from a description of the late-Medieval reality. Quickly memorize the terms, phrases and much more. When death is so common and ever-looming, it can also shape values and concerns about spiritual and eternal things. The Reformation, a 16th-century religious and political challenge to papal authority promoted by Martin Luther, King Henry VIII and others, led to the Thirty Years War and the Counter-Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was one of the most transformative events in church history. Over time, Luther began to see biblical and theological problems with certain practices in the church, such as the veneration of relics and the sale of indulgences. Many of the popes were corrupt and abusing their power. Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk in Germany who believed in all the Roman Catholic traditions of his day but, keenly aware of his own sinfulness, could find no peace in them. He hadn't. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. The Reformation catalyzed the secularization of music and art. The English Reformation was a series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation became the basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. Gravity. Test. This haunted him. Centuries of massive death tolls from internal European wars, the crusades against the Muslim states, and the ravages of the black plague had not only taken their toll on the population, they had also shaped life in a wide variety of ways. I'm currently studying Reformation Church History, so I'm hoping to post on this topic to help me to understand and revise it. The Reformation began in the early 16th century. Luther had rejected the Catholic church’s doctrine of transubstantiation, according to which the bread and wine in Holy Communion became the actual body and blood of Christ. Over the centuries the church, particularly in the office of the papacy, had become deeply involved in the political life of western Europe. the early 16th century, a scholar named Erasmus objected to several issues in the Roman Catholic Church, which at the time was the entire Church. For most people, the church continued to offer spiritual comfort. Germany - Germany - The Reformation: The Reformation presents the historian with an acute instance of the general problem of scholarly interpretation—namely, whether events are shaped primarily by individuals or by the net of historical circumstances enmeshing them. Top Answer. Calvin also stressed the doctrine of predestination and interpreted Holy Communion as a spiritual partaking of the body and blood of Christ. Many western Christians were troubled by what they saw as “false doctrines” and malpractices within the Catholic Church, particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. The first was that the church in Western Europe, which was theoretically united under the authority of the pope in Rome, was in crisis. Could the Reformation and the negative ramifications that came for it (bloodshed, massacre of Catholics in Protestant countries, international warfare, discrimination of Catholics, etc. This necessarily also made the Reformation a response to doctrinal errors and unbiblical traditions that had developed over time into the Roman Catholic system of Medieval Europe. The Reformation began as an affirmation of something. Page 7/26. The printing press fueled the fire, as printers distributed copies of the 95 theses widely, both in the original Latin and in a German translation.31 Just a little earlier in history, these theses would have been debated locally by a few scholars or completely ignored. Get an answer for 'Why did the Reformation begin in Germany? Roman Catholic leadership was also plagued by corruption, manifesting itself in practices like:20. 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