West Visayas State University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City 5000
Iloilo, Philippines

FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION – UNIT IV. The Reformation Movement

OVERVIEW

Attempts to reform (change and improve) the Catholic Church and the development
of Protestant Churches in Western Europe are known as the Reformation. The Reformation began in 1517 when
a German monk called Martin Luther protested about the Catholic Church. His followers became known as
Protestants. Many people and governments adopted the new Protestant ideas, while others remained faithful to
the Catholic Church. This led to a split in the Church.

CAUSES OF REFORMATION

By 1500, additional forces weakened the Church. The renaissance emphasis on the secular and
individual challenged church authority. The printing press spread these secular ideas. In addition, some rulers
began to challenge the church‟s political power. In Germany, which was divided into many competing states, it
was difficult for the pope or the emperor to impose central authority. Finally, northern merchants resented
paying church taxes to Rome. Spurred by these social, political and economic forces, a new movement for
religious reform began in Germany. It then swept much of Europe.

LUTHER CHALLENGES THE CHURCH

Martin Luther‟s parents wanted him to be a lawyer. Instead, he became a monk and a teacher. From
1512 until his death, he taught scripture at the University of Wittenberg in the German state of Saxony. All he
wanted was to be a good Christian, not to lead a religious revolution.

 The 95 Theses in 1517, Luther decided to take a public stand

against the actions of a friar named Johann Tetzel. Tetzel was raising
money to rebuild St. Peter‟s Cathedral in Rome. He did this by selling
indulgencies.
 Indulgence is a pardon. It released a sinner from performing the
penalty that a priest imposed for sins. Indulgences were not supposed to
affect God‟s right to judge. Unfortunately, Tetzel gave people the
impression that by buying indulgences, they could buy their way into
heaven.
 Luther was troubled by Tetzel‟s tactics. In response he wrote 95
Theses, of formal statements, attacking the “pardon-merchants.” On
October 31 1517, he posted these statements on the door of the castle
church in Wittenberg and invited other scholars to debate him. Someone
copied Luther‟s word and took them to the printer. Quickly, Luther‟s name
became known all over Germany. His actions began the Reformation, a
movement for religious reform. It led to the founding of Christian churches
that did not accept the pope‟s authority.

Luther’s Teachings

Soon Luther went beyond criticizing indulgences. He wanted full

 West Visayas State University
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City 5000
Iloilo, Philippines

reform of the Church. His teaching rested on three main ideas:

 . People could win salvation only by faith in God‟s gift of forgiveness. The Church taught that faith and
“good works” were needed for salvation.
 All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible. Both the pope and the Church
traditions were false authorities.
 All people with faith are equal. Therefore, people did not need priests to interpret the Bible for them.

THE RESPONSE TO LUTHER

Luther was astonished at how rapidly his ideas spread and attracted followers. Many people had been
unhappy with the Church for political and economic reasons. They saw Luther‟s protest as a way to challenge
Church control.

 The Pope’s Threat - Church officials in Rome viewed Luther simply as a rebellious monk who needs to
be punished by his superiors. However, as Luther‟s ideas became more popular, the pope realized that
this monk was a serious threat. In one angry reply to Church criticism, Luther actually suggested that
Christians drive the pope from the Church by force.
In 1520, Pope Leo X issued a decree threatening Luther with Excommunication unless he took back his
statements. Luther did not take back a word Instead; his students at Wittenberg gathered around a
bonfire and cheered as he threw the pope‟s decree into flames. Leo excommunicated Luther.

 The Emperor’s opposition – Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, a devout catholic, also opposed
Luther‟s teaching. Charles controlled a vast empire, including the German states. He summoned Luther
to the town of Worms (vawrmz) in 1521 to stand in trial. Told to recant, or take back his statements,
Luther refused:
“I am bound by the scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the word of God. I cannot
and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do
otherwise, here I stand, may God help me. Amen.”

- Martin Luther, quoted in The Protestant Reformation by Lewis W. Spitz

 Peasants Revolt – Some people began to apply Luther‟s revolutionary ideas to society. In 1524 German
peasants, excited by reformers‟ talk of Christian freedom, demanded an end to serfdom. Bands of angry
peasants went about the countryside raiding monasteries, pillaging and burning. The revolt horrified
Luther. He wrote a pamphlet urging the German princes to show the peasants no mercy. The princes‟
armies crushed the revolt, killing as many as 100, 000 people. Feeling betrayed, many peasants rejected
Luther‟s religious leadership.
 Germany at War- In contrast to the bitter peasants, many northern German princes supported
Lutheranism. While some princes genuinely shared Luther‟s beliefs, others liked Luther‟s ideas for
selfish reasons. They saw his teachings as a good excuse to seize Church property and to assert their
independence from Charles V.

In 1529, German princes who remained loyal to the pope agreed to join forces against Luther‟s Ideas.
Those protesting princes came to be known as Protestants. Eventually, the term protestant was applied to
Christians who belonged to non-Catholic churches.
 West Visayas State University
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City 5000
Iloilo, Philippines

In England, people must have become quite confused about what religion they were supposed to be
following:

Who Religion Actions

Henry VIII Catholic Split the English Church away from the Pope, but this was an argument
about the heir to the throne and power and not a move towards
Protestantism. Henry remained a Catholic to the end of his life.

Edward VI Protestant He extended some of the changes Henry VIII had begun.

Mary I Catholic Tried to restore the Catholic Church to what it had been like at the
beginning of Henry VIII's reign.

Elizabeth I Protestant She first tried to promote a 'middle way' in religion. She wanted to create an
inclusive Protestant church that allowed her to be in authority whilst
enabling former Catholics to feel that they could follow Protestant forms of
worship. She later began to persecute Catholics and by the end of her reign
England was a fully Protestant country.

James I Protestant He was a Protestant but was tolerant towards the Catholics. However he
introduced strict anti-Catholic laws after the Gunpowder Plot.

Charles I Protestant Tried to introduce Arminian changes. Arminianism is a form of

Protestantism that has a lot in common with Catholicism. Charles ended up
fighting a civil war against Oliver Cromwell – who was a Puritan (a very
strict Protestant who wanted to get rid of ritual in church services and lead a
plain and simple life).

Charles II Catholic They were both Catholics and tried to relax the laws against Catholics.
and James
II

William III Protestant He was a Calvinist Protestant (a follower of the teachings of John Calvin,
who believed that Christians should live life according to a strict moral
code as found in the Bible) from Holland. He took England to war to stop
the Catholic French King Louis XIV from increasing his power.
 West Visayas State University
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City 5000
Iloilo, Philippines

The start of the Protestant Church

Luther set up a new, Protestant Church – the Lutheran Church. One of the differences between
Protestants and Catholics is the way they view bread and wine during religious services. Catholics believe that
the bread and wine actually turns into the body and blood of Christ. Protestants believe it stays bread and wine
and only represents Christ. Luther also translated the Bible into German so more people could read and
understand it.

The Reformation spread to Europe

Luther's ideas spread and were developed further. The Reformation in Europe led to revolution, war
and persecution.

The predominant religions in European countries from the time of the Reformation in the 16th century

 A stricter form of Protestantism called Calvinism became popular with the Dutch.
 In Scotland, Calvinism was called Presbyterianism.
 There were other, even more strict, versions of Protestantism. In England, very strict Protestants were
called Puritans.
 There were wars of religion in France.
 First Spain and then France went to war against the Dutch Protestants.
 In Germany, Protestant and Catholic states fought the Thirty Years War (1618-48).
 In Spain, the kings used the Inquisition to torture and burn Protestants.

Consequences of the Reformation

In England, the events of the 17th century took place against a background of religious confusion:

1. The failure of the Catholic Gunpowder Plot to assassinate James I (1605) was greeted by national
celebrations. There was great relief that the monarch wasn't harmed in the alleged plot.
2. Religion played an important role in the Civil War that Charles I fought against Oliver Cromwell.
Cromwell and other strict Puritans were against Charles' choice of a Catholic wife and Catholic lifestyle.
3. Cromwell, in particular, was motivated by his Puritan religion. When he was Lord Protector, he banned
dancing, theatres, pubs, gambling, maypoles and even Christmas.
 West Visayas State University
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Luna St., La Paz, Iloilo City 5000
Iloilo, Philippines

Towards the end of the 17th century, Catholicism became associated in people's minds
with absolutism through the reigns of Louis XIV and James II. These monarchs believed they had a „Divine
Right‟ to rule – that they ruled personally on the authority of God. Catholics were used to communicating with
God indirectly and therefore it was perceived that Catholics accepted a strong hierarchy. Protestants believed
that ordinary people could communicate more directly with God through prayer, and therefore representative
bodies like parliaments could be an expression of God‟s will. This led to:

 the Glorious Revolution.

 the wars against the Catholics in Ireland
 the wars against Louis XIV
 the Act of Succession (1701) gave the throne to a Protestant German (George I)
 Catholics were prevented from taking the crown and no monarch could marry a Catholic

SOURCES:

https://www.cusd200.org/cms/lib/IL01001538/Centricity/Domain/267/_files/World_Civ_Chapter_17.pdf

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zrpcwmn/revision/9