Throughout history, the creation of every nation-state has an intertwined and connected path with the actions and coordinated movements of the intellectuals within the state. Intellectuals today, play a pivotal role in any attempted development of a new nation-state, such as Kosrat Rasul Ali the vice president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq declaring fifteen reasons for why the Kurdish Region should be an independent nation-state. Or in Catalonia, many famous scholars and politicians are pressing for their own independence from Spain. Literacy rates, ability to write and overall education levels is higher than ever in the world, and intellectuals still lead the charge for construction of nation-states because even today, the intellectuals …show more content…
But without a figurehead, or voice for the people, only a finite amount of change is possible. A distinct example for the need of intellectual leadership is displayed by the difference between the German, and Bohemian reformations. Jan Hus led the Bohemian reformation which is without question the precursor to the Protestant reformation led by Martin Luther about one hundred years later. The Bohemian reformation was the first schism to the Roman Catholic Church, but the Protestant reformation was the most impactful, with much more violence, widespread effect and radical changes. A foremost reason, is that the frustrations of the people had another one hundred to brine and boil, but a distinct difference is Martin Luther’s “Ninety-five Theses” to challenge the ways of the Roman Catholic Church. This gave the common people a clear-cut tool to visualize and conceptualize their frustrations and quarrels with the lavish lifestyles of Priests among other issues. Not to say Jan Hus was not an extremely impactful leader, but Martin Luther writing the issues along with the invention of the printing press allowed for the common people to have a voice and gave the movement a figurehead and
Although many Historians may argue that Erasmus was the biggest promoter of change during the Reformation it was actually Luther that was the biggest promoter of change during the Reformation because he was the one that found the things wrong with the church and everyone else was influenced by him. According to Document C it states eight of the 95 things Luther found wrong with the Church. The six thesis states “ The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring and showing that it has been remitted by God; or to be sure, by remitting in cases reserved to his judgement...Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better deed than he who buys indulgences” This is pretty much stating that the pope
Protestant Reformation: (Also known as the Reformation) is when Martin Luther rebelled against the church by writing a book called “The Ninety-Five Theses.” Luther began to question and criticise the selling of indulgences, he insisted that the pope had no authority over purgatory and the Catholic doctrine of the Merits of the saints. This changed most of Western Europe.
A major 16th century movement initially aimed at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformation was begun by a German monk named Martin Luther who challenge the Catholic Church’s doctrine by posting his 95 Theses on a church door. He did this because he was appalled that the church was selling indulgences, which were written letters that assured people’s salvation, in order to build a new Basilica in Rome under Pope Leo X. Martin Luther argued that the Bible, not the pope, was the central means to discern God’s word and was the only thing capable of giving salvation.
There are approximately eight hundred million Protestant Christians currently in the world with it being the second largest Christian domination (Fairchild). However, there are over a billion followers of the Roman Catholic faith and it currently stands as the Christian domination with the most followers (Fairchild). If it were not for the German monk, Martin Luther, most Christians would have been Roman Catholic in the present. Martin Luther is famous for “95 Theses” that critiqued the practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church and it was written on Halloween Day, 1517 (Ellis and Esler 423-427). Other people agreed with him and shared their perceptions, which led to the birth of the Protestant Reformation (Ellis and Esler 423-427). In the documents written by people who either supported or were against the Protestant Reformation, the main idea of them is that the Catholic Church supported the idea of paying indulgences and competing with others for power.
The protestant reformation had originated in Germany with Martin Luther being one of the key contributors to this movement. Although originating in Germany the Protestant reformation had quickly spread throughout Europe. In the beginning Luther only wanted to have his many questions concerning the Roman Catholic churches divine authority answer but, when he did not get them he tried to make the church change and when the church would not change he left is behind and demanded religious change for all(BishopPg.3) or (Barick Ayil pg 13)As stated in “The Reformation and Society In sixteenth-Century Europe” "anticlericalism and antipapalism were nevertheless bound to flourish in a society which endowed churchmen with excessive power and wealth.”
In the early 1500s , approximately around the year 1517, the Protestant Reformation began . The Protestant Reformation was a huge deal in Europe, which resulted in a revolt against abuses and totalitarian control of the Roman Catholic Church . Political powers wanted to reform the churches by extending their control at the churches extents . There were three major principle figures in the Reformation; Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli . Although they were three different men, they all fought for the same cause: reformation .
I think that a Protestant Reformation would have occurred even if Martin Luther had not taken the prominent role. First, there were many other supporters of the belief that the church’s authority was misguided besides MartinLuther. Although Luther began the Reformation, there were many other prominent figures that expressed their opinions before Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door. John Wyclif and Jan Hus stressed the Bible's authority over the clergy, and they translated the Bible into common vernacular so the people could read it and interpret it for themselves. Additionally, significant writers such as Thomas More and Desiderus Erasmus, who wrote Utopia and The Praise of Folly, respectively, vocally criticized the church. These
The protestant reformation was a significant turning point during the 16th century that completely revolutionized the Roman Catholic Church. The “reformation” was launched in 1517 when a German monk by the name of Martin Luther posted his “95 Theses” on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. The main ideas of this publication was that selling and buying indulgences was wrong and that the pope has no power over purgatory. These 95 revolutionary opinions formed the basis for the protestant reformation which revolutionized western civilization over the next three centuries. Although most people believe these reforms only affected religion, the reformation also impacted political life. Politics played an enormous role in the reformation due to the fact that political rulers wanted to extend their power and control using the church. Throughout the course of the protestant reformation, political authorities such as Emperor Charles V and Henry
During the Baroque period, religion, politics and socioeconomic were influenced by the Reformation and Counter-Reformation movements. The reformation revolution took place at the Western Church and was led by Martin Luther during the 16th century (1517). The revolution resulted in the founding of Protestantism, which is today one of the major branches of Christianity. During the revolution, chaos aroused between the Catholic and the Protestant church because the Protestants are against some practices of the Catholic Church like the selling of indulgences and relics. The Reformation forced the masses to create a choice of religion ‒ to be Catholic or to be Protestant. It was a choice that had to be made and there were no alternatives. The revolutionaries noticed the corruption and the misused authority of the leaders of the church and they believed that things had to be changed and be put back in the proper order of the bible.
Through different inspirations, the Protestant Reformation and Age of Enlightenment sought to change the stagnant traditions of European thinking in the 15th and 16th centuries. Began by German priest named Martin Luther in 1517, he was one of the first people to publicly call out the Catholic Church and their bargaining of indulgences by pasting the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg church for everyone to see. The 95 Theses was a short list of the 95 flaws of the Catholic Church revolving around the use of their indulgences. Luther believed that people should not be scammed by the church and pay for fake indulgences for salvation, but rather come to a new understanding of salvation that came through faith alone. The other change of tradition was not getting your source of beliefs from the Catholic Church, but solely the Bible, which was a
The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. The Reformation in western and central Europe officially began in 1517 with Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. This was a debate over the Christian religion. At the time there was a difference in power. Roman Catholicism stands with the Pope as central and appointed by God. Luther’s arguments referred to a direct relationship with God and using the local vernacular to speak to the people. Luther’s arguments remove the absolute power from the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church in general. The revenue from the taxes paid to the Church would be reduced with Luther’s ideas, in part because of
The Glorious Revolution was primarily completed when King James II of England was overthrown due to the mutiny of selected English Parliamentarians. The revolution was completed under the leadership of William III of Orange-Nassau from Denmark. The primary reason for the need of this revolution was King James' religious policies in the mid-1680s. His approach was receiving severe opposition from the leaders involved in his government as well as neighbouring governments. The main concern for most political leaders was King James' strong Catholic roots and his close-knit relations with France. This crisis further escalated with the birth of King James' son (James Francis Edward Stuart) which led to the probability of the Roman Catholic Empire even stronger. Also, the birth of his son set array the present line of succession which was for his daughter Mary who was married to William III of Orange. Many of the opposition parties joined hands including the leaders of Tories and invited William III to the region to initiate a military intervention (Pincus, 2009).
“There is strength in numbers” (Mark Shields). This well-known quote emphasizes the importance of working together. However, “strength in numbers” would never be achieved without a great leader. Great leaders are the basis for success in all aspects of society because without someone to lead, plans cannot be executed and ideas remain mere thoughts in people’s minds. One such great leader was Martin Luther, a German theologian, who is credited with beginning the Protestant reformation. Part of the reason why his name is so readily associated with the reformation is because he had the courage to create change. Luther was not the first to have radical ideas about reforming the Roman Catholic Church: there must have been others who loathed indulgences or were cognizant that the papacy often corrupted its power. However, Luther was the one to gather his ideas and stand up against the Church, for the sake of Christianity and its followers. Even though he often faced the threat of harsh consequences, he never recanted his teachings or gave up hope. Despite encouraging mass violence, Martin Luther should be known as a great leader since he reformed the Roman Catholic Church and helped make Christianity more accessible to the common people.
Erasmus was also active at this time, and his friendship with More strongly shaped how he viewed things. We know that Erasmus was very publicly outspoken against issues within the Church, yet this outspokenness is what would push Martin Luther to launch a formal reformation with the publication of his 95 Theses. This unfortunately put a divide between men like Martin Luther and men like Erasmus and More who wanted reformation without division of the Church.
The reformation of the Church during the 16th century was one of the most religious, political, and cultural disturbance that occurred in Europe. The structures and the beliefs of the people of the Catholic Church would be questioned and redefined in many ways. During this era of time, men such as Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, would have a significant impact on the plans that occurred. Erasmus was a reformer who believed in free will and that man could be saved by grace and good works. Luther, a revolutionists, believed that one can only be saved by grace alone. Hans Behem,--a man who believed in social equality not only in the spiritual world, but also in the outside world--was a revolutionist. He was a peasant who had a say in the ways of the church and worked to reveal to the people that there should be a no social hierarchy in society. These three men were outspoken and determined to have their thoughts not only revealed to the world, but also to be followed. They each had different views, beliefs and ways to express their efforts of change, but similarly worked hard to reveal their thoughts to the world.