Assess the significance of the struggle for political power in influencing the Reformation from 1500-1610. T he struggle for political power was exceptionally significant in influencing the reformation from 1500-1610. The European reformation was a period of intense, yet inconsistent, religious and political change across Central Europe. Protestantism was challenging the widespread acceptance of Catholicism, whilst also threatening the power of the church authorities. Martin Luther, the most significant figure in the early development of Protestantism, took hold of the reformation during this period and popularised its beliefs, basing them on his interpretation of the scriptures.
Before 1603 Scotland and England were separate countries and this was the first time a kind of England had been king of Scotland as well, this didn’t make them one country but James was determined on a union. When James became King, there was a crisis of raised hopes and expectations by those groups who wanted a change to the Elizabethan Settlement, the Protestants (Puritans) and the Catholics. Catholics had hoped for relief from the increasingly harsh anti-Catholic penal laws that had been progressively introduced during Elizabeth’s reign. These penal laws were where that everyone had to attend Anglican Church on Sundays, it was illegal for Catholics not to abide by this law and where charged with heavy fines if they failed to do so. Puritans wanted further reform of the Anglican Church, specifically a move towards a more Protestant Church.
I believe that religious persecution was the principle reason for their voyage but also feel that their discontent with the English government played a key role in their leaving as well. In sixteenth century England there were people who wanted to see reform in English religion, society, and politics. They strove to do this by restricting church membership to the pious and godly and also by wanting the state to enforce non-bending moral codes. 1 These people were called Puritans. Those who made up the Puritan group were either Presbyterians or Congregationalists.
With the Donatist controversy Constantine eventually appealed to them using force, attempting to persuade them to Catholic Church. He eventually abandoned this method as it appeared to be a persecution of the Christians all over again. Constantine did not just patronize the Christian religion, after the battle at the Milvian Bridge a triumphal arch was erected in remembrance of his victory, which had
In order to keep the Huguenots peaceful, Henry knew he would have to settle them in a way that tackled their demands. Finally, one thing that Henry was always desperate for was the loyalty of all his people, united as one. The phrase, ‘One king, one faith, one law’ was particularly popular in France at the time, and a saying that Henry wished to use in his own methods of ruling. To conclude, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598 so as to help the ordinary people living in France at the time whose lives had been completely twisted upside down as a result of the religious wars. He also wanted to keep peace with the
As the people watched the church decay morally through the Renaissance they became more and more worried about what this meant for them in the afterlife. Thus the Reformation was a direct result of a buildup of social, economic, religious, and political problems that manifested itself into a general animosity towards the Catholic Church. The most important figure of the Reformation is without a doubt Martin Luther. Luther created the rally cry that thousands across Europe answered by criticizing the Catholic Churches practices and carrying on the work of other Christian Humanists like Erasmus. We see an example of one of Luther’s critical writings in Document 8.
This continued until Henry VIII, so desperate to produce a male heir, broke Papal control over England and named himself Head of the Church that taught an offshoot of Christianity based on the teachings of Martin Luther, the Protestant Church of England. This change did not make much difference, as the main different was the head of the Church and belief about divorce. Many more changes came after Henry died in 1547 and Edward VI became king. Edward, led by his advisors, moved England completely from Catholicism and to Protestantism. He passed laws such as making churches and bishops more plain, services be said in English and creating the Book of Common Prayer in 1549 and a refined version in 1552.
C. Calvinism (most significant of the new Protestant sects) John Calvin (1509-1564) EXTRA CALVINISMLeader: John CalvinBelief: relied on faith and theBible; believed in predestination,the idea that at the beginning oftime God had decided whowould be saved Significant Events Calvin moved to Geneva, which became a theocracy as a result; Calvinism spread throughout Europe . Frenchman; studied to be a priest and later trained as a lawyer.—humanistic study in France b. Influenced by humanism and weighting of Lutheran, especially Erasmus —-converted and was longer welcome in paris king francis i hated Protestants c. Exiled to Switzerland due to his reform ideas 2. Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536) —- a masterful synthesis
So he instead became a monk and theology teacher instead. Luther was afraid of God and Hell until he saw the "Justification by faith" in "The Book Of Romans." Martin Luther decided to write his own doctrine stating that the Bible should be the basis of a persons religion. In 1507, Martin Luther became officially ordained a Roman Catholic Priest. Luther was then
For example in the Lincoln Articles it states that the rebels wanted “an end to suppression of religious houses” and “bishops in England do not have… the faith of Christ”. Furthermore in the Pontefract Articles, it is said that the rebels wanted “the Pope as the Supreme Head of the Church of England”, “to end the heresies within this realm.” This shows that the Pilgrimage was a reaction from the peasants after the Break with Rome. Moreover the rebels marched behind the Five Wounds of Christ, showing that the peasants were heavily influenced by religion. Also, in the 16th century religion held communities together as people prayed and paid for the rituals of the Church, so the dissolution would have affected this. Historian Geoffrey Elton says that the uprising was religious and associated with Catherine of Aragon.