The Protestant Reformation: Causes, Key Figures, and Historical Impact

The Protestant Reformation: Origins and Division

The Reformation was a religious movement which began in the first half of the 16th century. It instigated the division of the Christian Church and the founding of Protestant churches.

Causes of the Reformation

The primary causes of the Reformation were:

• The low clergy's lack of training.
• The bad example set by the high clergy.
• The Church's immense wealth.
• The buying and selling of ecclesiastical positions (simony).
• The sale of indulgences.

Key Figures of the Movement

• Martin Luther: The German priest was scandalized by the amount of corruption in the Church. He published the famous “95 Theses” in 1517, challenging papal authority.
• Ulrich Zwingli: A Swiss pastor who founded the Reformed Church in the city of Zurich.
• John Calvin: A French theologian who spread a powerful type of Protestantism from Geneva in Switzerland.

Defining Concepts and Treaties

Indulgences

Indulgences are a declaration by the Catholic Church to have some or all of an individual’s punishment in Purgatory remitted.

The Peace of Augsburg (1555)

The Peace of Augsburg was signed in 1555, under which the Emperor granted the Protestant princes religious freedom.

The Catholic Response: The Counter-Reformation

The Counter-Reformation was a religious, intellectual, and political movement led by the Catholic Church against the Protestant Reformation.

The Council of Trent (1545–1563)

The Council of Trent, which was held between 1545 and 1563, established the Catholic Church's course of action in three main areas:

1. The clarification of their teachings.
2. Internal reform.
3. The repression of Protestantism.

Spanish Conflicts During Charles V's Reign

Castile was experiencing an economic crisis, and Charles V used the taxes collected to finance his appointment as Holy Roman Emperor. This provoked significant internal conflicts:

The Revolt of the Comuneros (1520)

The Revolt of the Comuneros occurred in 1520, in which the lower nobility and bourgeoisie in some cities rose up against the government.

The Agermanados

The Agermanados were groups of humble citizens who had been allowed to arm themselves to defend their coastal cities against pirate attacks. They organized an armed revolt to improve their economic conditions and attain political rights. As a result of suppressing these revolts, the monarchy became more powerful.

Governance Under Philip II

In order to govern his empire, Philip II increased bureaucracy by founding the Council of Portugal and granting more power to the secretaries—types of ministers that acted as intermediaries between the King and the councils.