Many factors led to the rise of Protestantism, for example, events like the Black Death and the Western Schism. The most crucial factors were the reformers themselves. Two of the most famous reformers were Martin Luther and Desiderius Erasmus. Luther was a German priest who found the ways of the Roman Catholic Church to be corrupt, he fought the church until he was named an outlaw by the emperor, and shunned by the pope. Erasmus was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, and Catholic priest.
During this same time, the Catholic Church was moving further from the theology of the Protestants. The reformation was also known as the “Protestant revolt from the medieval Roman Catholic Church” (Harvey, 1918, p. 321). Luther was active in pointing out the “characteristic differences of attitude, of tendency, and of judgment, as well as of method, exhibited in these modern attempts to portray and interpret the most widely influential of the earliest founders of Protestantism” (Harvey, 1918, p. 321). Luther wanted to stress that there was a need to expunge the “corrupt bureaucracy” within the church, which can only be done when the church returns to the Bible (Owenby, 2011, p. 1). Luther believed that all believers should abide by the words of ‘our Lord and Master Jesus Christ” and repent of our sins (Morris, 1998, p. 56).
The main motivation for the reformation in England was Henry V111 religious convictions how far do you agree with this statement? The reformation in England was the change from Catholicism to Protestantism. Henry V111 played a huge role in the reformation for example he stopped the amount of taxes that were being payed to Rome and he later ordered the dissolution of the monasteries however there are many other reasons to why the reformation in England took place for example for many years Protestants had argued over the beliefs and laws of the catholic religion as they believed some of their beliefs were corrupt. For example the Catholics had a strong belief in purgatory this is a seen as being like a waiting room were your soul is weighed on all of the sins you have committed compared to all of the positives that you have done throughout your life. The church said that the only way you could get time out of purgatory or save a family member from purgatory was to buy indulgences this means that the monks will pray for you and your family.
Therefore by reforming the English Church and removing the Pope and making Henry VIII the Supreme Head of the Church in England, there was a revolution in the relationship between Church and State. Also as Thomas Cromwell, who masterminded this manoeuvre, had used parliament to enforce the reformation the principle that King-in-parliament was the highest form of authority. This sat very well with Henry VIII and appealed far more to those who lent to the positive and idealistic though secular form of anti-clericalism. This is one reason why the English Church did need to be reformed in the 16th century. Another reason the English Church may have needed reforming would be that many people lost enthusiasm for religious orders and religious images in the 16th century.
Historians have different opinions about the importance of events in Scotland in causing the English Civil War. While some historians state that Scotland was very important others highlight Ireland as a more important external reason for the conflict. Ann Hughes argues that the rebellion brought serious conflict to England, causing a military struggle that could not have been generated by English divisions (1998: p30). Although the Long Parliament was called due to the Scottish Rebellion, it was the sole reason for the civil war. The events in Scotland began with Charles introducing the English bible into Scotland, from there a religious protest developed and ultimately the National Covenant was set up.
Protestant Reformation in Europe During the sixteenth century, there were quite a few people who questioned the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. This time period was called the Reformation, and during this time, the Church was criticized by the Protestants for their corruption. “The omnipotence of the church, both in the spiritual sense and in the political realm, had been called into question” (Rogers 9). The Reformation ended the period of unity created by Medieval Christianity. The two people who stand out during this time period are Martin Luther and John Calvin.
In the end; the reformation opened up a lot of new ideas and also fixed up many of the flaws that were plaguing the Catholic Church. First of all, the Counter Reformation had spread out to other countries, mostly because of the Jesuits. The Jesuits were a group of Catholics that Ignatius Loyola to preach Catholicism. These Jesuits were totally focused on the church and did whatever the pope said to do. Even spread the faith to different countries that had many Protestants.
The Protestant Reformation was initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. After Martin Luther, a German friar, posted his Ninety-five Theses (or Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences) in 1517, Protestant ideas spread to other European countries including Switzerland, France, and England. Ordinary people’s dissatisfaction towards the Catholic Church, early Protestants’ different understandings of the Scriptures, and rulers’ demands for escaping the Pope’s jurisdiction were all causes of the Protestant Reformation. After Christianity was recognized as the official religion of the Roman Empire, people thought that the church no longer held its original mission. They raised calls to reform institutions, improve clerical education, and change basic doctrines.
One of the main leaders in the act to resist the Roman Catholic Church’s authority and change the ideas of Christianity in the Protestant Reformation was Martin Luther. Martin Luther, a German priest in Wittenberg during the 1500s, had opposed several immoral practices of the Catholic Church not only in Germany, but also all of Europe due to the extensive reach of power
These included his understanding of what individuals need to attain Salvation and his 95 Thesis. Through these beliefs, Luther consequently impacted Christianity in many ways. Some of which include the widespread questioning of Catholic Church, the birth of a new Christian visitant – Protestantism, the development of Protestant denomination: Lutheran, Calvinist – Baptists, Church of England etc., and the Counter Reformation. One of the ways in which Martin Luther was a catalyst for the Reformation of the Christian Church was his understanding of salvation. During the 1500’s, the Catholic Church was in a state of nepotistic and was shrouded in corruption and wrongdoing.