The Modern Age in Europe — Reformation
ICSE Class 9 · History & Civics · Chapter 17
What this chapter covers
- Meaning of the Reformation
- Causes of the Reformation: dissatisfaction with the practices of the Catholic Church
- Causes of the Reformation: the new learning
- Martin Luther's contribution: the break with Rome
- Martin Luther's contribution: teachings and the Lutheran Church
- Counter Reformation: meaning and the Council of Trent
- Counter Reformation: the Jesuits and other measures
Key points
- The Reformation was the sixteenth-century religious movement in Europe that began as a protest against the abuses and authority of the Roman Catholic Church and ended in the formation of separate Protestant Churches.
- The name Protestant comes from the protest made by Luther's supporters at Speyer in 1529.
- Dissatisfaction with the Church arose from the worldly life and ignorance of the clergy, the Church's wealth and taxes such as the tithe, simony and nepotism, the sale of indulgences, the Pope's interference in politics and the loss of papal prestige during the Avignon period and the Great Schism.
- The new learning of the Renaissance, with humanism, critics such as Erasmus, forerunners such as Wycliffe and Hus, and above all the printing press and the vernacular Bible, taught people to question the Church and spread new ideas quickly.
- Martin Luther (1483 to 1546) began the Reformation with the Ninety-five Theses against indulgences at Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.
- Luther burnt the papal bull, was excommunicated in 1521 and refused to recant at the Diet of Worms, where he was declared an outlaw.
- Luther taught salvation by faith alone, the Bible as the only authority and the priesthood of all believers; he translated the Bible into German and founded the Lutheran Church.
- The Peace of Augsburg of 1555 let each German prince choose the Catholic or the Lutheran faith for his territory.
- The Counter Reformation, or Catholic Reformation, was the Catholic Church's movement to reform itself and check Protestantism.
- The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) restated Catholic beliefs, upheld the Pope's supremacy and ended abuses such as the sale of church offices and indulgences, and set up seminaries to train priests.
- The Society of Jesus, founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1534, worked through education, preaching and missions; St Francis Xavier reached Goa in 1542.
- The Inquisition and the Index of Prohibited Books were used to suppress heresy.
- The two movements divided western Christianity permanently, reformed the Catholic Church, led to religious wars, strengthened kings and national states and spread education.
Questions answered
Define the Reformation.
The Reformation is the religious movement of sixteenth-century Europe that began as a protest against the corrupt practices and the authority of the Roman Catholic Church, and that led to the formation of separate Protestant Churches.
How did the name "Protestant" arise?
At the meeting of German princes at Speyer in 1529, the Catholic majority decided to stop the spread of Luther's teaching. The princes who supported Luther made a formal protest against this decision, and they and their followers came to be called Protestants.
What were indulgences? Why did their sale cause anger?
Indulgences were certificates issued by the Church which were believed to cancel or reduce the punishment due for sins. They came to be sold for money, and some sellers claimed that payment alone could win forgiveness or free souls from purgatory, so sincere Christians felt that God's mercy was being sold.
Explain the terms simony and nepotism.
Simony is the buying and selling of positions in the Church for money. Nepotism is the practice of giving important posts to one's own relatives instead of to deserving persons.
Why were kings and princes unhappy with the Church before the Reformation?
Church lands were free from the king's taxes, and much of the wealth of their countries went to Rome as Church dues. The Pope also interfered in their affairs by appointing bishops and keeping separate Church courts. As national feeling grew, rulers wanted full control over their own lands.
How did the Avignon period and the Great Schism weaken the Church?
From 1309 to 1377 the popes lived at Avignon and seemed to be under French influence, and from 1378 to 1417 there were two or three rival popes condemning one another. Christians therefore began to doubt that the Pope's word was final in matters of faith.
What is meant by the new learning? Give two ways in which it led to the Reformation.
The new learning was the spirit of study and enquiry that grew out of the Renaissance, based on humanism, reason, the reading of original texts and printed books. It led people to question Church teachings that were not found in the Bible, and printing spread the Bible in the vernacular and the reformers' pamphlets quickly and cheaply.
Name two forerunners of the Reformation and state one contribution of each.
John Wycliffe of England taught that the Bible was the final authority and inspired its translation into English. Jan Hus of Bohemia attacked the sale of indulgences and the worldliness of the clergy, and was burnt at the stake in 1415.
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2019 sample paper · 2 marks
What was known as the Letter of Indulgences?
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A Letter of Indulgence was a certificate sold by the Roman Catholic Church (through agents such as John Tetzel) which was claimed to free the buyer from punishment for his sins. Its sale was one of the main abuses that provoked Martin Luther to start the Reformation.
ICSE 2019 sample paper · 3 marks
With reference to the Modern Age in Europe, answer the following questions: State any three contributions of Martin Luther in reforming the Church in Europe.
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1. In 1517 he nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, attacking the sale of Letters of Indulgence and other corrupt practices of the Church.
2. He challenged the authority of the Pope and declared that salvation comes through faith in God (not through rituals or indulgences) and that the Bible is the only authority.
3. He translated the Bible into German so that common people could read it, and founded the Lutheran (Protestant) Church.