2.3 Protestant Reform Continues
4 min read•january 8, 2023
Sharii Liang
Minna Chow
Sharii Liang
Minna Chow
The Protestant reformers did not preach in a vacuum. They were part of a much larger series of changes in European society, changes they benefitted from and also encouraged. In this guide, we're only going to cover two: the fast spread of information fostered by the , and challenges to the idea of monarchial control over religious institutions.
The Printing Press
In this section, we'll be talking about the , and its importance to the . First, a quick recap of the :
What was the Printing Press?
The played a significant role in the because it allowed for the rapid production and dissemination of ideas, which played a key role in the spread of the Reformation.
Before the , books and other materials were produced by hand, which was a slow and labor-intensive process. The , invented by in the mid-15th century, revolutionized the production of books and other materials by allowing for mass production using movable type. This made it possible to produce large quantities of materials quickly and at a lower cost, which facilitated the spread of ideas and knowledge.
Printing press, Image Courtesy of WIkimedia
What Role Did the Printing Press Play?
Think of the as Ye Olde Europe’s Social Media. It allowed ideas to spread much faster than word of mouth or hand-written manuscript could.
The facilitated the production of religious tracts and pamphlets, which were widely distributed and played a key role in spreading the message of the Reformation. Many of these tracts and pamphlets were written by reformers themselves, and were used to argue for the reforms they were advocating.
For example, were published, in abridged form, into a widely distributed pamphlet.
Furthermore, the allowed for vernacular, or "written in the common language" translations of the Bible to spread. Before the , access to the Bible was restricted. The Bible was originally in Latin, and Latin was a language that only the well-off and educated could read. While the common people were involved in their faith through prayer and going to church, they were unable to read the Bible and interpret it for themselves.
During the (and before,) the Bible was translated into many vernacular languages. This is because Protestants believe that all people should have access to the Bible. The Protestant translations made it possible for people who were not proficient in Latin to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. In fact, Martin Luther himself wrote a translation of the Bible into German! These translations spread through their duplication in a .
State Over Church?
The relationship between church and state was a complicated one even before the . At times, kings were in direct conflict with religious officials for power and control. Sometimes, the state gave special privileges to the church, such as reducing or even eliminating land taxes on Church property; sometimes the state gained power within the church, such as being able to pick appointees to religious positions within their borders.
During this time, it was commonplace for the monarchy and government to control the religion its people followed. If your king was Catholic, you were Catholic. Even during the , this practice would continue: the , (see the guide for 2.4) for example, only allowed princes to choose their faith, not the common people.
When the occurred, this relationship got no simpler. While Luther's stance on the state-church relationship was that "temporal matters should be left to temporal authority," other groups had different stances.
On one side, we have the establishment of the by , which made the Head of the State also the Head of the Church of England.
On the other side, we have groups that challenged the monarch's control of religious institutions.
Some groups that would fight against the state were...
(mostly English )
(French )
These groups faced persecution from the state as a result, leading to the religious wars we'll be talking about in the next guide.
John Calvin
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia
🎥 Watch: AP European History - Martin Luther and Reformation
Key Terms to Review (15)
Anabaptists
: The Anabaptists are a Christian sect that believes in delaying baptism until the candidate confesses his or her faith. They were seen as radical during the Reformation.Anglican Church
: The Anglican Church or Church of England is a Christian church which became separate from the Catholic Church under Henry VIII in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy.Calvinists
: Calvinists are followers of the theological teachings and doctrines of John Calvin, a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. They believe in predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God.Henry VIII of England
: Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547. He is best known for his six marriages, especially his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled which led to the separation of the Church of England from papal authority.Huguenots
: The Huguenots were French Protestants during the 16th and 17th centuries. They faced severe persecution until King Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes granting them rights and protections.Johannes Gutenberg
: Johannes Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing technology.John Calvin
: John Calvin was a French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He developed a Christian theology known as Calvinism, emphasizing predestination and absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of human soul from death and eternal damnation.Martin Luther's 95 Theses
: The 95 Theses were written by Martin Luther in 1517 as a protest against the selling of indulgences (pardons issued by the Pope that were said to reduce punishment for sins). This document is often seen as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation.Peace of Augsburg
: The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, was an agreement between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (and his allies), and the forces of Lutheran princes which effectively ended religious warfare within the Empire.Polish Nobles
: Known as Szlachta, these were the noble class in Poland during the Kingdom of Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth period. They enjoyed substantial political power and privileges.Printing Press
: A machine invented by Johann Gutenberg that creates copies of texts through an impression on a paper sheet—an innovation that revolutionized book production and distribution during Renaissance Europe.Protestant Reformation
: The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church.Puritans
: The Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and needed to become more protestant.State Over Church
: This is the principle that the government has more authority than the church in governing society.Vernacular Translations of the Bible
: These are translations of the Bible into everyday language that people speak, as opposed to Latin which was primarily used by the Church and scholars.2.3 Protestant Reform Continues
4 min read•january 8, 2023
Sharii Liang
Minna Chow
Sharii Liang
Minna Chow
The Protestant reformers did not preach in a vacuum. They were part of a much larger series of changes in European society, changes they benefitted from and also encouraged. In this guide, we're only going to cover two: the fast spread of information fostered by the , and challenges to the idea of monarchial control over religious institutions.
The Printing Press
In this section, we'll be talking about the , and its importance to the . First, a quick recap of the :
What was the Printing Press?
The played a significant role in the because it allowed for the rapid production and dissemination of ideas, which played a key role in the spread of the Reformation.
Before the , books and other materials were produced by hand, which was a slow and labor-intensive process. The , invented by in the mid-15th century, revolutionized the production of books and other materials by allowing for mass production using movable type. This made it possible to produce large quantities of materials quickly and at a lower cost, which facilitated the spread of ideas and knowledge.
Printing press, Image Courtesy of WIkimedia
What Role Did the Printing Press Play?
Think of the as Ye Olde Europe’s Social Media. It allowed ideas to spread much faster than word of mouth or hand-written manuscript could.
The facilitated the production of religious tracts and pamphlets, which were widely distributed and played a key role in spreading the message of the Reformation. Many of these tracts and pamphlets were written by reformers themselves, and were used to argue for the reforms they were advocating.
For example, were published, in abridged form, into a widely distributed pamphlet.
Furthermore, the allowed for vernacular, or "written in the common language" translations of the Bible to spread. Before the , access to the Bible was restricted. The Bible was originally in Latin, and Latin was a language that only the well-off and educated could read. While the common people were involved in their faith through prayer and going to church, they were unable to read the Bible and interpret it for themselves.
During the (and before,) the Bible was translated into many vernacular languages. This is because Protestants believe that all people should have access to the Bible. The Protestant translations made it possible for people who were not proficient in Latin to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. In fact, Martin Luther himself wrote a translation of the Bible into German! These translations spread through their duplication in a .
State Over Church?
The relationship between church and state was a complicated one even before the . At times, kings were in direct conflict with religious officials for power and control. Sometimes, the state gave special privileges to the church, such as reducing or even eliminating land taxes on Church property; sometimes the state gained power within the church, such as being able to pick appointees to religious positions within their borders.
During this time, it was commonplace for the monarchy and government to control the religion its people followed. If your king was Catholic, you were Catholic. Even during the , this practice would continue: the , (see the guide for 2.4) for example, only allowed princes to choose their faith, not the common people.
When the occurred, this relationship got no simpler. While Luther's stance on the state-church relationship was that "temporal matters should be left to temporal authority," other groups had different stances.
On one side, we have the establishment of the by , which made the Head of the State also the Head of the Church of England.
On the other side, we have groups that challenged the monarch's control of religious institutions.
Some groups that would fight against the state were...
(mostly English )
(French )
These groups faced persecution from the state as a result, leading to the religious wars we'll be talking about in the next guide.
John Calvin
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia
🎥 Watch: AP European History - Martin Luther and Reformation
Key Terms to Review (15)
Anabaptists
: The Anabaptists are a Christian sect that believes in delaying baptism until the candidate confesses his or her faith. They were seen as radical during the Reformation.Anglican Church
: The Anglican Church or Church of England is a Christian church which became separate from the Catholic Church under Henry VIII in 1534 with the Act of Supremacy.Calvinists
: Calvinists are followers of the theological teachings and doctrines of John Calvin, a key figure in the Protestant Reformation. They believe in predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God.Henry VIII of England
: Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 until his death in 1547. He is best known for his six marriages, especially his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled which led to the separation of the Church of England from papal authority.Huguenots
: The Huguenots were French Protestants during the 16th and 17th centuries. They faced severe persecution until King Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes granting them rights and protections.Johannes Gutenberg
: Johannes Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, inventor, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing technology.John Calvin
: John Calvin was a French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He developed a Christian theology known as Calvinism, emphasizing predestination and absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of human soul from death and eternal damnation.Martin Luther's 95 Theses
: The 95 Theses were written by Martin Luther in 1517 as a protest against the selling of indulgences (pardons issued by the Pope that were said to reduce punishment for sins). This document is often seen as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation.Peace of Augsburg
: The Peace of Augsburg, signed in 1555, was an agreement between Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (and his allies), and the forces of Lutheran princes which effectively ended religious warfare within the Empire.Polish Nobles
: Known as Szlachta, these were the noble class in Poland during the Kingdom of Poland, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth period. They enjoyed substantial political power and privileges.Printing Press
: A machine invented by Johann Gutenberg that creates copies of texts through an impression on a paper sheet—an innovation that revolutionized book production and distribution during Renaissance Europe.Protestant Reformation
: The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church.Puritans
: The Puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England from its "Catholic" practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and needed to become more protestant.State Over Church
: This is the principle that the government has more authority than the church in governing society.Vernacular Translations of the Bible
: These are translations of the Bible into everyday language that people speak, as opposed to Latin which was primarily used by the Church and scholars.
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