What Were The Conditions Created During The Later Middle Ages Which Laid The Groundwork For The Reformation? Essay

The Black Death also known as the Bubonic plague was a deadly disease that swept through Europe in the late 1340s to the early 1350s, wiping out over twenty five to forty million people. It is called the Black Death because when victims got sick, they developed massive bulges on their bodies that turned purple and black. The bubonic plague originated in the arid plains of Central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching Crimea by 1343. From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that would often get on merchant ships. In around 1347, the bubonic plague entered Europe through the cities of Constantinople, Genoa, and most famously the island of Sicily. Infected people came on ships and infected others in the city, the fleas from rats moved on to other animals, like horses and dogs that were often found living alongside humans, spreading that disease even more. And people leaving those cities, carried the disease with them to other cities in northern Europe through trading routes. By 1349, the plague had reached England and Norway. The plague scared people making them believe it was the end of humanity. The Black Death was a turning point in history because it killed one-third of the western European population, making it one of the most deadly diseases in the world.

“The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that have defined the continent in today's modern era.”(History.com/2009) Many historians have argued that the beinging of the reformation goes back to 1517 when Martin Luther wrote 95 Theses. Its ending can be placed anywhere from the 1583-1648, right around the time of the Treaty of Westphalia. The key ideas of the Reformation were to purify the church and a belief that the Bible, not tradition, should be the sole source of spiritual authority. However, Luther and multiple other men contributed on a large scale that widely affected the Reformation. “Martin Luther who was a monk and professor in Germany when he composed his 95 Theses, in which he protested the popes sale of indugences were corrupting church members faith”(Biography.com/2013). With the aid of the printing

There were many causes of Reformation, some go as far back as the fourteenth century. One of the main ones was that the papal authority and credibility were damaged. This was done through, Avignon papacy, - a time where the headquarters of the Holy See had to be moved from Rome to Avignon, it brought uncertainty to the people,

The Protestant Reformation was a pivotal time of European history that occurred during the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was comprised of people called “reformers” that challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice (“The Reformation”). The Protestant Reformation was revolutionary due to the fact that the reformers preached against everything the Catholic Church had been teaching. Some famous reformers are John Calvin and Martin Luther. However, Martin Luther-- to some--- is named the most successful and influential reformer of the 16th century. Martin Luther was tremendously effective and influential due to how resourceful he was, and his teachings spread across Europe swiftly.

The Protestant Reformation that occurred in Europe during the 16th century was caused by the overall corruption of the church and wrongful use of papal power. The Reformation affected the power of the church and thoroughly revised the practices and beliefs held before the Reformation.

The Black Death hit the shores of Europe in October 1347. After a long a tough journey, through the Black Sea, twelve ships or Genoese docked at the Sicilian Port. Those who greeted the ships had a horrifying site of dead sailors and the sailors who were alive were greatly ill. It is said that the sailors had awful fevers, were not able to keep food down, and they were covered in black boils that oozed blood and puss. This is where the name Black Death came from. Although the ships were ordered to leave the port, the Black Death claimed the lives of over 20 million people, about one third of the continent’s population during that time, over the next five year.1

The reformation was a major movement in the 16th century aimed at reforming the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Luther’s theses were a response directed to the church in demand of changing the religious views of society but led an immense religious and political division in Europe.

During the 16th century, Europe experienced changes that shaped the country forever. Humanism became the dominant philosophical stance, advances were made in art and literature, royal power grew, and explorations lead to the discovery of gold and silver. This discovery made Europeans “money-mad”. However, none of these events were quite as revolutionary as the Protestant Reformation of 1517. The Reformation was a schism that caused the people of Europe to make a choice between Protestant and Catholic. Many people were unsatisfied with the church; it had become corrupt. The wealth of the church had greatly increased and it had become greatly unorganized. The Protestant Reformation was caused by the abuses

The Protestant Reformation began in 1516 and changed the face of Christianity forever. the major causes of the Reformation are Martin Luther, the 95 Thesis, the Pope and the indulgences that he forced upon the people that were being caught Catholicism, and possibly the tithes which is an olden day tax from the church of Rome.

The people became envious of the wealth of the church. The church owned lots of land and a lot of the people’s money that they earned by working hard, went to the church. This way, the church became very wealthy and the people were losing their possessions. Because the people’s money went to the church, they considered this tithe, a 10% tax of everyone’s earnings, a burden. The government was already taxing the people and this just added to all the money they were losing to the taxes. This lead to the resentment of the amount of taxes that the papacy received. So much of the people’s money was going straight to the papacy so they were getting wealthier and wealthier while the people were losing their money. Most of the economic factors that lead to the Reformation had to do with the people’s loss of money through taxation, which is understandable because the people worked hard for their money and they lost so much of it through taxes to the government and the

Religion has never been an easy topic to chew on when it comes to multiple countries, it does not get any better when multiple wars are started because of a disagreement in how to worship. The Protestant Reformation was a widespread epidemic that started with Martin Luther noticing severe problems in the way the Roman Catholic Church was running, and that there were simple and more holy methods and worshipping God, leading to the creation of Lutheranism. There was an uproar in Germany over this new reformation, and it caught the attention of John Calvin who then strove to create Calvinism with the idea that one could not save themselves, their destination was already set. All through Europe there was conflict over what the Roman Catholic church was doing, and it had impacted multiple standards throughout all of Europe. In this essay, there will be descriptions of how the Protestant Reformation inflicted deep damage on Renaissance Europe via deep social pressures, heavy political moves, and relatively few, but heavily placed economical actions.

Before the Reformation was redesigned, there were brutal religious rivalries on a daily basis. The Bible was used, dramatically, in restricting authority and actions of citizens; brainwashing, and surrounding their lives in the Catholic Church. Due to the amount of effort forced upon citizens, they believed passionately and strongly in the word of the Pope and Church; citizens would torture, while the Church would imprison anyone who questioned or mislead the obstructions of their authorities. The horrific events citizens had to witness were some of the most challenging and confusing during this era.

The term reformation refers to mostly to religious changes in Europe during the 1500’s, with that came changes in society, culture, and politics. The Protestant reformation began in 1517 with Martin Luther and the church documents in Germany, which led to new churches; such as Calvinist, Anglican, and the Lutheran church. The Protestant Reformation changed Europe’s theological emphases, which changed the aspects of learning as a whole. The Protestant Reformation was the biggest reformation or most renowned of them all including; the Catholic, the Radical, the Peasants. From the Protestant Reformation started a process that encompassed the rise of national states, new rendezvous with the distant world, and economic shifts.

The beginning of the Protestant Reformation can be dated back to the 16th century The Intellectual, political, and cultural eruption that disintegrated Catholic Europe, setting into motion a belief that would define the continent in modern time. In central and Northern Europe reformers such as Martin Luther, and John Calvin challenged the pope’s authority and questioned the church’s ability to define Christian practices. These reformers argued for religious and political redistribution of power back into the hands of bible reading pastors. This disruption caused wars, or Counter-Reformation the catholic church’s response to the Protestants.

In the 15th century Europe was controlled by the religious faction of the papacy. Anything done against the papacy, more importantly the Pope, ended with the person, or country, being excommunicated. Excommunication was an act of condemning or forsaking an individual to hell. Only the Pope could forgive and allow them to be redeemed. Selling of indulgences was also another common practice that the papacy used during the time. They required all Catholics pay tribute to the papacy and in return they were granted salvation. During this time there were little to no free thinkers, due to the fear brought about by the papacy. Only a few individuals dared to question the Church. Individuals like Martin Luther.