The Reformation

The Reformation

1. Long term causes

   • Long term cause 1 - The state of the Catholic Church
     • While there were two contemporary views of the Catholic Church during the 15th and 16th century, it was clear that there was widespread perception of systematic corruption & the abuse of power at the time.
   • Long term cause 2 - Growth in education/renaissance
     • The renaissance (1370 -1527) new wave of learning and thinking entered Europe.
     • The renaissance was important in the context of the church reform because it encouraged a new intellectual outlook and re-examination of ideas.

2. Short term causes

   • Short term cause 2 - Martin Luther
   • Short term cause 1 - The political environment in Germany

3. Short term consequences

   • Short term consequence 1 - Catholic Response
     • Purpose was not to rouse the people into revolt but to prompt academic debate.
     • Arrival of the printing press
       • Over the next few years the work of Luther was to travel across Europe at an alarming pace partly due to the arrival of the printing press and the reaction of the Catholic Church to Luther's ideas.
     • While the church painted Luther as a villain, the middle class and peasants saw Luther as a hero.
     • The Archbishop of Mainz, Albert of Brandenburg, was concerned of Luther's actions.
       • He was relying on the $ to pay off debts he had incurred securing his acquisition of the archbishopric.
         • Albert appealed to the Pope for support.
     • Events
       • 1518 Dr Conrad Koch wrote a thesis repudiating the claims by Luther - The undergraduates at Wittenberg burned 800 of his copies.
       • Luther then travelled to Heidelberg for a meeting of the Augustinian order where he defended his thesis.
       • Pope Leo X ordered Luther to Rome to answer for opinions - Luther declined.
   • Short term consequence 2 - The spread of Lutheranism
   • Short term consequence 3 - Social unrest

4. Long term consequences