The Protestant Reformation

* Luther might have been a geek without Gutenburg

- many heretics (Savonarola, Wycliff, Huss, etc.) w/out press

-> if you burn them, their heresy goes up in smoke

-> Luther's ideas printed and thus more difficult to snuff

- moveable type and the beginning of the info-culture

-> "affordable" knowledge for the "middle class" (wealthy literates, noble and not)

=> science and politics would never be same

- Luther nails his theses in 1517, quickly printed and distributed

* Luther's break with the Catholic Church

- a mystic with high self-esteem

-> he decides that "The just shall live by faith", not works

=> each man is his own priest [huge deal]

- Tetzel, the Pope’s agent, was selling indulgences overzealously

-> Luther disgusted

=> especially since Tetzel was selling to Luther's own students (fact?)

-> indulgences supposed to be for penance

-> Tetzel saying for eternal judgment

-> Luther calls him a pardon merchant

- Wittenburg, 1517, Luther nails up his 95 theses

-> criticisms of the Church and doctrine

-> Pope Leo X (Medici) excommunicates him in 1520, but can’t

get to him

-> Charles V orders him ignored and not fed, but no effect

- Diet of Worms - 1521

-> Luther sheltered by Protestant dukes

- 1521 - spends a year translating the Bible into German

-> now everyone can read the Bible for themselves

-> allowed snooty middle classes to ignore ignorant priests

* Creation of multiple sects, splinter effect

- Lutheranism 1517

- Calvinism 1541

- Anglican Church 1534

-> only sort of - Henry VIII sees an opening to go with need

* the meaning of churches change

- political function of the churches severely weakened

- religion became a reason for political dissension between

countries

-> England, Germany, and Holland disunited though Protestant

=> churches still not unified enough to create Prot. block

-> Catholic Spain, France, and Italy diverge

=> national character to Catholicisms increases in import

* that which did not change

- Luther opposed the peasant wars 1524-25

-> German peasants assume free-thinking can be political

=> huge revolt against serfdom and monarchy

-> Luther sees movement as too radical

=> tells peasants to shut up and read Bible

=> Ties Lutheran hierarchy to governments to secure

safety

+> leaves the Prot. Churches in similar position to

Catholic ones - supporting power

-> 100K peasants massacred by Kings and Prices

- Henry of Navarre

-> abandons Protestantism for throne of France

=> crass politics

=> “Paris is worth a mass.”

-> Edict of Nantes 1598 - Calvinists get equal rights.

* religious wars

- Charles V vs. German Princes

-> Catholics v. Protestants

-> Charles is more concerned with Italy/France and Turks

=> Peace of Augsburg granting individual nobles choice of

faith 1555

- Philip II hits the Germans 1560's

-> France weakened, out of Italy and Low Countries

-> damages to Lutheranism, but destruction of Protestantism

fails in North Europe