MAKING OF THE
MODERN WORLD
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ülke Evrim Uysal
Department of Political Science
and Public Administration
evrimuysal@beykent.edu.tr
Today’s Course Objectives
1 • The Reformation
2 • Rise of Protestantism
3 • Outcomes of the Reformation
Reform
Reform (Webster Dictionary)
to put or change into an improved form or condition.
to amend or improve by change of form or removal of
faults or abuses.
to become changed for the better.
The Reformation
The Protestant Reformation, often referred as
the Reformation (from Latin reformatio, lit. "restoratio
n, renewal"), was split from the Roman Catholic
Church initiated by Martin Luther and continued
by John Calvin and other early Protestant Reformers in
the 16th century Europe. Timing most commonly used
for this period is from 1517 (the Ninety-five Theses are
published by Martin Luther) to 1648 (Peace of
Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' War).
Calls for Reform
• John Wycliffe (1330-1384)
– Questioned the authority of the
pope
• Jan Hus (1370-1415)
– Criticized the vast wealth of the
Church
• Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)
– Attacked corruption in the Church
Key Concepts
• End of Religious Unity and Universality in the
West
• Attack on the medieval church—its institutions,
doctrine, practices and personnel.
• Not the first attempt at reform, but very unique.
• Word “Protestant” is first used for dissenting
German princes who met at the Diet of Speyer in
1529.
• A convergence of unique circumstances.
Reasons for Reformation
1-) The Problems of the Catholic Church
2-) Convergence of Unique Circumstances
a- Cultural reasons
b- Technological reasons
c- Political reasons
d- Spiritual reasons
e- Economic and Social reasons
1-) The Problems of the Catholic Church
• Charges of greed
• Worldly political power
challenged
• Weariness of dependence
on the Church and the
constraints it enforced
• Growing human
confidence vs. “original
sin”
• Catholic church becomes
defensive in the face of
criticism
• The confusing nature of
scholasticism
1-) The Problems of the Catholic Church
• The corruption of the
Renaissance Papacy (e.g.
high taxes, lack of
decency)
--Rodrigo Borgia
• European population was
increasingly anti-clerical
• Absenteeism of church
leaders
--Antoine de Prat
• The controversy over the
sale of indulgences
2a- Cultural Reasons
• Better educated, urban
populace was more
critical of the Church than
rural peasantry
• Renaissance monarchs
were growing impatient
with the power of the
Church
• Society was more
humanistic and secular
• Growing individualism
--John Wyclif
2b- Technological Reasons
• Invention of movable type
was invented in 1450 by
Johann Gutenberg.
• Manufacture of paper
becomes easier and
cheaper.
• Helped spread ideas before
Catholics could squash
them.
• Intensified intellectual
criticism of the Church
• Protestant ideals appealed
to the urban and the
literate.
2b- Technological Reasons
• Luther’s ideas spread
quickly with the help of
the printing press.
• Luther’s supporters
distributed copies of his
speeches and essays far
and wide.
• Millions of people sided
with Luther against the
Roman Catholic Church.
2c-Political Reasons (England)
• Notion of the
Renaissance Prince
• Recent War of the
Roses created a sense
of political instability for
the Tudor dynasty
--Henry VIII
• The significance of a
male heir to the Tudors
2c-Political Reasons
(Holy Roman Empire/Germany)
• Decentralized politics
• Pope successfully challenged
the monarch here
• New Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V, is young, politically
insecure and attempting to
govern a huge realm during
the critical years of Luther’s
protest.
• Charles V faced outside attacks
from France and the Turks.
• Circumstances favor Luther
(Ottoman Turks also explicitly
supported Protestants)
2d-Spiritual Reasons
• Translation of Bible
demonstrated that the
clergy had been
presenting several non-
religious issues (e.g
indulgences, made-up
texts).
• The quest for the
authentic/essential
roots of Christianity
2e-Economic and Social Reasons
• Fundamental change of
economic and social life
in late middle ages.
• Emergence of new
wealthy urban class
(bourgeoisie).
• The principle of
individualism and rise of
commercial capitalism.
Lutheranism
• Luther’s followers
disagreed with many of
the teachings of the
Catholic Church.
• They rejected the
authority of Church
councils and the pope. Luther translated
the Bible into
German
• Reading the Bible was the
only way to learn how to
lead a good life.
A New Church
• Luther soon had many followers.
• His supporters began to organize a
new Christian denomination.
• Several German princes
supported Luther.
• Lutherans and Catholics fought
each other. Saint Bartholomew’s
Day massacre
• The first wars ended with the
Treaty of Augsburg, but fighting in
Europe over religion continued to
the mid-seventeenth century.
http://www.lincolncs.org/5-6/Studies/images/armada/Map%20of%20Reformation.gif
The Counter-Reformation:
The Catholic Response
File:Pope-leo10.jpg
Excommunication
• In 1520 Pope Leo X excommunicated
Luther.
– Excommunication- expelled him from the
church.
– Holy Roman Emperor Charles V passed
measures to suppress Luther’s writings.
– Lutheran princes in Germany issued a
protestatio or protest.
• Hence the term Protestant!
Catholic Counter Reaction
• Reformation shaped the
form and rapidity of the
Catholic response
• Council of Trent (1545-
1563)
• The Society of Jesus
(“Jesuits”)—1534
--Ignatius Loyola
• The Inquisition
• Renewed religious
emotionalism
--Baroque Art
• Religious warfare and a
new Bible
Catholic Counter Reaction
• Repression of new
ideas
• Ban on printing &
books
• Protestants (then Jews
and Muslims) were
severely punished
Catholic Counter Reaction
• Witch craze swept
Europe in the 1600’s
--Between 1561-1670,
3000 people in
Germany, 9000 people
in Switzerland and
1000 people in
England were
executed as witches
Persecution of Protestants by Catholics
Persecution of Protestants by Catholics
The European Age of Religious Wars
(1517 -1648)
European Religious
Divisions – 16th 17th
century
The Thirty Years’ War was
a series of conflicts that
began early in the 17th
century in the Holy Roman
Empire and finally involved
much of Europe.
It started as a conflict
between Protestants and
Roman Catholics but soon
became a struggle for
political power between
nations.
Holy Roman Empire 1618
The war began in
Bohemia. There in 1618
the Protestant nobility
refused to recognize
Ferdinand II, soon to be
Holy Roman emperor, as
their king.
Instead they chose
Frederick V, the
Palatine elector. This
brought on a war
involving the
member states of the
Holy Roman Empire.
Ferdinand the Catholic
Peace of Westphalia (1648)
Birth of modern concepts:
Territorial recognition
Modern state
Sovereignty
International law
First step to European
integration
Outcomes of the Reformation
• Germany was politically
weakened and fragmented
• Christian Church was divided
in the West
• 100 Years of Religious
Warfare
• Right of Rebellion
introduced by both Jesuits
and Calvinists
• Birth of secular thought
Outcomes of the Reformation
• Furthered societal
individualism and
secularism
• Growing doubt and
religious skepticism
• Societal divisions
(Germany & Ireland)
Outcomes of the Reformation
• In the long term, the
reformation paved the
way for widespread
literacy in Europe
• Literacy in 1900:
Britain 97%
Italy 52%
Spain 44%
Portugal 22%
