Religious Life In Europe During The 1500S

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Religious life in Europe during the 1500’s was completely unorganized. There were many different Christian denominations scattered across the continent. This lead to much controversy in the interpreting and teaching of the word of the lord. The four main Christian denominations that could be found in Europe during the 1500’s were: Anglican, Orthodox, Lutheran, and Roman Catholic. These views of religion would often go to extreme heights to win over the peoples support. The word Anglican means “of England” hence the lesser known name the Church of England. The Anglican Church was one of the youngest churches around in the 1500’s. When King Henry VIII argued with Pope Leo X in 1536 over an annulment, the Anglican Church was formed. The first Book of Common Prayer was formed in 1549. It is a simplified form of Latin liturgy translated into English. Today the Anglican Church has approximately 80 million members in more than 164 countries. Political, linguistical, and cultural differences between the Eastern and Western Churches, eventually lead to the Great Schism in 1054. Within each country the Church was self-governing and independent, but everyone in that country has an overall allegiance to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Orthodox Church was the main denomination of the Ottoman empire which was located in eastern Europe and Asia Minor. The Largest Christian denomination of the Late Middle Ages was the Roman Catholic Church. As the Mother of Christianity and the main guideline to the later branches of Christianity, the Roman Catholic Church was under a lot of pressure during the late Middle Ages. In some cases the Church didn’t live up to their prestige and was forced to reform, like at the Council of Trent. The harsh inquisitions of this time would also put a dark shadow over the operations of the Church. In the 1500’s The Roman Catholic Church
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