impact of the protestant reformation essay

Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

The reformation.

Erasmus of Rotterdam

Hans Holbein the Younger (and Workshop(?))

Martin Luther (1483–1546)

Workshop of Lucas Cranach the Elder

• The Last Supper

Designed by Bernard van Orley

The Fifteen Mysteries and the Virgin of the Rosary

Netherlandish (Brussels) Painter

Albrecht Dürer

Four Scenes from the Passion

Follower of Bernard van Orley

Friedrich III (1463–1525), the Wise, Elector of Saxony

Lucas Cranach the Elder and Workshop

Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk

Lucas Cranach the Elder

Johann I (1468–1532), the Constant, Elector of Saxony

The Last Judgment

Joos van Cleve

Chancellor Leonhard von Eck (1480–1550)

Barthel Beham

Anne de Pisseleu (1508–1576), Duchesse d'Étampes

Attributed to Corneille de Lyon

Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

Christ and the Adulteress

Lucas Cranach the Younger and Workshop

The Calling of Saint Matthew

Copy after Jan Sanders van Hemessen

Christ Blessing the Children

Satire on the Papacy

Melchior Lorck

Christ Blessing, Surrounded by a Donor Family

German Painter

Jacob Wisse Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University

October 2002

Unleashed in the early sixteenth century, the Reformation put an abrupt end to the relative unity that had existed for the previous thousand years in Western Christendom under the Roman Catholic Church . The Reformation, which began in Germany but spread quickly throughout Europe, was initiated in response to the growing sense of corruption and administrative abuse in the church. It expressed an alternate vision of Christian practice, and led to the creation and rise of Protestantism, with all its individual branches. Images, especially, became effective tools for disseminating negative portrayals of the church ( 53.677.5 ), and for popularizing Reformation ideas; art, in turn, was revolutionized by the movement.

Though rooted in a broad dissatisfaction with the church, the birth of the Reformation can be traced to the protests of one man, the German Augustinian monk Martin Luther (1483–1546) ( 20.64.21 ; 55.220.2 ). In 1517, he nailed to a church door in Wittenberg, Saxony, a manifesto listing ninety-five arguments, or Theses, against the use and abuse of indulgences, which were official pardons for sins granted after guilt had been forgiven through penance. Particularly objectionable to the reformers was the selling of indulgences, which essentially allowed sinners to buy their way into heaven, and which, from the beginning of the sixteenth century, had become common practice. But, more fundamentally, Luther questioned basic tenets of the Roman Church, including the clergy’s exclusive right to grant salvation. He believed human salvation depended on individual faith, not on clerical mediation, and conceived of the Bible as the ultimate and sole source of Christian truth. He also advocated the abolition of monasteries and criticized the church’s materialistic use of art. Luther was excommunicated in 1520, but was granted protection by the elector of Saxony, Frederick the Wise (r. 1483–1525) ( 46.179.1 ), and given safe conduct to the Imperial Diet in Worms and then asylum in Wartburg.

The movement Luther initiated spread and grew in popularity—especially in Northern Europe, though reaction to the protests against the church varied from country to country. In 1529, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V tried, for the most part unsuccessfully, to stamp out dissension among German Catholics. Elector John the Constant (r. 1525–32) ( 46.179.2 ), Frederick’s brother and successor, was actively hostile to the emperor and one of the fiercest defenders of Protestantism. By the middle of the century, most of north and west Germany had become Protestant. King Henry VIII of England (r. 1509–47), who had been a steadfast Catholic, broke with the church over the pope’s refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the first of Henry’s six wives. With the Act of Supremacy in 1534, Henry was made head of the Church of England, a title that would be shared by all future kings. John Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536) codified the doctrines of the new faith, becoming the basis for Presbyterianism. In the moderate camp, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (ca. 1466–1536), though an opponent of the Reformation, remained committed to the reconciliation of Catholics and Protestants—an ideal that would be at least partially realized in 1555 with the Religious Peace of Augsburg, a ruling by the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire granting freedom of worship to Protestants.

With recognition of the reformers’ criticism and acceptance of their ideology, Protestants were able to put their beliefs on display in art ( 17.190.13–15 ). Artists sympathetic to the movement developed a new repertoire of subjects, or adapted traditional ones, to reflect and emphasize Protestant ideals and teaching ( 1982.60.35 ;  1982.60.36 ;  71.155 ;  1975.1.1915 ). More broadly, the balance of power gradually shifted from religious to secular authorities in western Europe, initiating a decline of Christian imagery in the Protestant Church. Meanwhile, the Roman Church mounted the Counter-Reformation, through which it denounced Lutheranism and reaffirmed Catholic doctrine. In Italy and Spain, the Counter-Reformation had an immense impact on the visual arts; while in the North , the sound made by the nails driven through Luther’s manifesto continued to reverberate.

Wisse, Jacob. “The Reformation.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/refo/hd_refo.htm (October 2002)

Further Reading

Coulton, G. G. Art and the Reformation . 2d ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1953.

Koerner, Joseph Leo. The Reformation of the Image . Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.

Additional Essays by Jacob Wisse

• Wisse, Jacob. “ Northern Mannerism in the Early Sixteenth Century .” (October 2002)
• Wisse, Jacob. “ Prague during the Rule of Rudolf II (1583–1612) .” (November 2013)
• Wisse, Jacob. “ Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) .” (October 2002)
• Wisse, Jacob. “ Burgundian Netherlands: Court Life and Patronage .” (October 2002)
• Wisse, Jacob. “ Burgundian Netherlands: Private Life .” (October 2002)
• Wisse, Jacob. “ Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525–1569) .” (October 2002)

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The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation that began with Martin Luther in 1517 played a key role in the development of the North American colonies and the eventual United States.

3, 5, 7, 9 - 12

Religion, Social Studies, Civics, U.S. History, World History

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms 1521

Martin Luther, a German teacher and a monk, brought about the Protestant Reformation when he challenged the Catholic Church's teachings starting in 1517.

Photograph of painting by World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism , a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine . The Protestant Reformation began in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk, published a document he called Disputation on the Power of Indulgences , or 95 Theses . The document was a series of 95 ideas about Christianity that he invited people to debate with him. These ideas were controversial because they directly contradicted the Catholic Church 's teachings. Luther's statements challenged the Catholic Church 's role as intermediary between people and God, specifically when it came to the indulgence system, which in part allowed people to purchase a certificate of pardon for the punishment of their sins. Luther argued against the practice of buying or earning forgiveness, believing instead that salvation is a gift God gives to those who have faith. Luther's objections to the indulgence system paved the way for other challenges to the Catholic doctrine throughout Europe. For example, John Calvin in France and Huldrych Zwingli in Switzerland proposed new ideas about the practice of Holy Communion, and a group called Anabaptists rejected the idea that infants should be baptized in favor of the notion that baptism was reserved for adult Christians. Broadly speaking, most of the challenges to the Catholic Church revolved around the notion that individual believers should be less dependent on the Catholic Church , and its pope and priests, for spiritual guidance and salvation. Instead, Protestants believed people should be independent in their relationship with God, taking personal responsibility for their faith and referring directly to the Bible, the Christian holy book, for spiritual wisdom. Protestant reform in England began with Henry VIII in 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a marriage annulment. Subsequently, King Henry rejected the Pope's authority, instead creating and assuming authority over the Church of England, a sort of hybrid church that combined some Catholic doctrine and some Protestant ideals. Over the next 20 years, there was religious turbulence in England as Queen Mary (1553–1558) reinstated Catholicism in England while persecuting and exiling Protestants , only to have Queen Elizabeth I and her Parliament attempt to lead the country back toward Protestantism during her reign (1558–1603). Some English citizens did not believe Queen Elizabeth's efforts to restore England to Protestantism went far enough. These citizens fell into two groups, both labeled Puritans by their opponents. The first group, known as separatists , believed the Church of England was so corrupt that their only choice was to leave England, separate from the church , and start a new church . They called this the English Separatist Church . Around 1607 or 1609, some of the separatists tried to start the new lives they imagined in Holland, in the Netherlands. Ultimately, the endeavor failed due to poverty and the sense that the children were assimilating too much into Dutch culture, so many of the separatists returned to England. By 1620, members of the English Separatist Church were ready for a second try at establishing a new life and church . Those who set sail aboard the Mayflower for New England and eventually landed near Plymouth, Massachusetts, would, in time, become known as the Pilgrims . The other group of English citizens who did not believe Queen Elizabeth's reform efforts went far enough were called non separatists ; over time, the term " Puritan " would become synonymous with the non separatists . They did not seek to leave the Church of England; they wanted only to reform it by eliminating the remnants of Catholicism that remained. In terms of theology, most of them were Calvinists. Although they did not desire to separate from the Church of England, some Puritans saw emigrating to New England as their best chance at true reform of the church and freedom to worship as they chose. In 1630, a decade after the Pilgrims embarked on a similar journey for similar reasons, the first Puritans traveled to the New World and established the Massachusetts Bay Colony in Boston, Massachusetts. Though the separatists and non separatists disagreed about whether to sever ties to the Church of England, both groups of early North American colonists shared a dissatisfaction with the church and a mindset that they were free to establish a church more in alignment with their spiritual views. Perhaps predictably, this freedom to practice religion according to one's beliefs led to the creation of countless different churches , denominations , and doctrines in the colonies. Equally predictable, throughout history this diversity has led to disagreements. However, this diversity of religious thought has also become a core part of the identity of the United States: The Bill of Rights explicitly forbids "establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Over 400 years in the making, this belief in personal empowerment and independence in religious matters, with its roots in the Protestant Reformation , has become an enduring part of the American mindset.

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The Protestant Reformation

Wittenberg, 1725, engraving, 18 x 15 cm ( State and University Library, Dresden )

A challenge to the Church in Rome

In art history, the 16th century sees the styles we call the High Renaissance followed by Mannerism , and—at the end of the century—the emergence of the Baroque style . Naturally, these styles are all shaped by historical forces, the most significant being the Protestant Reformation’s successful challenge to the spiritual and political power of the Church in Rome . For the history of art, this has particular significance since the use (and abuse) of images was the topic of debate. In fact, many images were attacked and destroyed during this period, a phenomenon called iconoclasm .

Today there are many types of Protestant Churches. For example, Baptist is currently the largest denomination in the United States but there are many dozens more. How did this happen? Where did they all begin? To understand the Protestant Reform movement, we need to go back in history to the early 16th century when there was only one church in Western Europe—what we would now call the Roman Catholic Church—under the leadership of the Pope in Rome. Today, we call this “Roman Catholic” because there are so many other types of churches (i.e. Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican — you get the idea).

The Church and the state

So, if we go back to the year 1500, the Church (what we now call the Roman Catholic Church) was very powerful (politically and spiritually) in Western Europe (and in fact ruled over significant territory in Italy called the Papal States). But there were other political forces at work too. There was the Holy Roman Empire  (largely made up of German speaking regions ruled by princes, dukes, and electors), the Italian city-states, England, as well as the increasingly unified nation states of France and Spain (among others). The power of the rulers of these areas had increased in the previous century and many were anxious to take the opportunity offered by the Reformation to weaken the power of the papacy (the office of the Pope) and increase their own power in relation to the Church in Rome and other rulers.

Keep in mind too, that for some time the Church had been seen as an institution plagued by internal power struggles (at one point in the late 1300s and 1400s church was ruled by three Popes simultaneously). Popes and cardinals often lived more like kings than spiritual leaders. Popes claimed temporal (political) as well as spiritual power. They commanded armies, made political alliances and enemies, and, sometimes, even waged war. Simony (the selling of Church offices) and nepotism (favoritism based on family relationships) were rampant. Clearly, if the Pope was concentrating on these worldly issues, there wasn’t as much time left for caring for the souls of the faithful. The corruption of the Church was well known, and several attempts had been made to reform the Church (notably by John Wyclif and Jan Hus ), but none of these efforts successfully challenged Church practice until Martin Luther’s actions in the early 1500s.

Friedrich Drake, Door of Theses, Castle Church, Wittenberg, Germany, 1858, bronze (photo: public domain )

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Martin Luther as an Augustinian Monk , 1520, engraving, 14.3 x 9.7 cm ( The Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York)

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German monk and Professor of Theology at the University of Wittenberg. Luther sparked the Reformation in 1517 by posting, at least according to tradition, his “95 Theses” on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. These theses were a list of statements that expressed Luther’s concerns about certain Church practices—largely the sale of indulgences, but they were based on Luther’s deeper concerns with Church doctrine. Before we go on, notice that the word Protestant contains the word “protest” and that reformation contains the word “reform”—this was an effort, at least at first, to protest some practices of the Catholic Church and to reform that Church.

Indulgences

The sale of indulgences was a practice where the Church acknowledged a donation or other charitable work with a piece of paper (an indulgence), that certified that your soul would enter heaven more quickly by reducing your time in purgatory. If you committed no serious sins that guaranteed your place in hell, and you died before repenting and atoning for all of your sins, then your soul went to purgatory—a kind of way-station where you finished atoning for your sins before being allowed to enter heaven.

Pope Leo X had granted indulgences to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. These indulgences were being sold by Johann Tetzel not far from Wittenberg, where Luther was Professor of Theology. Luther was gravely concerned about the way in which getting into heaven was connected with a financial transaction. But the sale of indulgences was not Luther’s only disagreement with the institution of the Church.

Faith alone

Martin Luther was very devout and had experienced a spiritual crisis. He concluded that no matter how “good” he tried to be, no matter how he tried to stay away from sin, he still found himself having sinful thoughts. He was fearful that no matter how many good works he did, he could never do enough to earn his place in heaven (remember that, according to the Catholic Church, doing good works, for example commissioning works of art for the Church, helped one gain entrance to heaven). This was a profound recognition of the inescapable sinfulness of the human condition. After all, no matter how kind and good we try to be, we all find ourselves having thoughts which are unkind and sometimes much worse. Luther found a way out of this problem when he read St. Paul, who wrote “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). Luther understood this to mean that those who go to heaven (the just) will get there by faith alone—not by doing good works. In other words, God’s grace is something freely given to human beings, not something we can earn. For the Catholic Church, on the other hand, human beings, through good works, had some agency in their salvation.

Scripture alone

Luther (and other reformers) turned to the Bible as the only reliable source of instruction (as opposed to the teachings of the Church). The invention of the printing press in the middle of the 15th century (by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany) together with the translation of the Bible into the vernacular (the common languages of French, Italian, German, English, etc.) meant that it was possible for those that could read to learn directly from Bible without having to rely on a priest or other church officials. Before this time, the Bible was available in Latin, the ancient language of Rome spoken chiefly by the clergy. Before the printing press, books were handmade and extremely expensive. The invention of the printing press and the translation of the Bible into the vernacular meant that for the first time in history, the Bible was available to those outside of the Church. And now, a direct relationship to God, unmediated by the institution of the Catholic Church, was possible.

When Luther and other reformers looked to the words of the Bible (and there were efforts at improving the accuracy of these new translations based on early Greek manuscripts), they found that many of the practices and teachings of the Church about how we achieve salvation didn’t match Christ’s teaching. This included many of the sacraments, including Holy Communion (also known as the Eucharist). According to the Catholic Church, the miracle of Communion is transubstantiation—when the priest administers the bread and wine, they change (the prefix “trans” means to change) their substance into the body and blood of Christ. Luther denied that anything changed during Holy Communion. Luther thereby challenged one of the central sacraments of the Catholic Church, one of its central miracles, and thereby one of the ways that human beings can achieve grace with God, or salvation.

The Counter-Reformation

The Church initially ignored Martin Luther, but Luther’s ideas (and variations of them, including Calvinism) quickly spread throughout Europe. He was asked to recant (to disavow) his writings at the Diet of Worms (an unfortunate name for a council held by the Holy Roman Emperor in the German city of Worms). When Luther refused, he was excommunicated (in other words, expelled from the church). The Church’s response to the threat from Luther and others during this period is called the Counter-Reformation (“counter”—against).

Council of Trent, 1565, in the Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae , etching and engraving, 33.5 x 49.7 cm ( The Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York)

The Council of Trent

In 1545 the Church opened the Council of Trent to deal with the issues raised by Luther. The Council of Trent was an assembly of high officials in the Church who met (on and off for eighteen years) principally in the Northern Italian town of Trent for 25 sessions.

Selected Outcomes of the Council of Trent:

• The Council denied the Lutheran idea of justification by faith. They affirmed, in other words, their Doctrine of Merit, which allows human beings to redeem themselves through Good Works, and through the sacraments.
• They affirmed the existence of purgatory and the usefulness of prayer and indulgences in shortening a person’s stay in purgatory.
• They reaffirmed the belief in transubstantiation and the importance of all seven sacraments.
• They reaffirmed the authority of both scripture the teachings and traditions of the Church.
• They reaffirmed the necessity and correctness of religious art (see below).

The Council of Trent on religious art

At the Council of Trent, the Church also reaffirmed the usefulness of images—but indicated that church officials should be careful to promote the correct use of images and guard against the possibility of idolatry. The council decreed that images are useful “because the honor which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which those images represent” (in other words, through the images we honor the holy figures depicted). And they listed another reason images were useful, “because the miracles which God has performed by means of the saints, and their salutary examples, are set before the eyes of the faithful; that so they may give God thanks for those things; may order their own lives and manners in imitation of the saints; and may be excited to adore and love God, and to cultivate piety.”

The Reformation was a very violent period in Europe, even family members were often pitted against one another in the wars of religion. Each side, both Catholics and Protestants, were often absolutely certain that they were in the right and that the other side was doing the devil’s work.

The artists of this period—Michelangelo in Rome, Titian in Venice, Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg, Lucas Cranach the Elder in Saxony—were impacted by these changes since the Church had been the single largest patron for artists. And art was now being scrutinized in an entirely new way. The Catholic Church was looking to see if art communicated the stories of the Bible effectively and clearly (see Paolo Veronese’s Feast in the House of Levi for more on this). Protestants on the other hand, for the most part, lost the patronage of the Church, and religious images (sculptures, paintings, stained glass windows, etc.) were destroyed in iconoclastic riots .

Other developments

It is also during this period that the Scientific Revolution gained momentum and observation of the natural world replaced religious doctrine as the source of our understanding of the universe and our place in it. The Holy Roman Empire up-ended the ancient Greek model of the heavens by suggesting that the sun was at the center of the solar system and that the planets orbited around it.

At the same time, exploration, colonization, and (the often forced) Christianization of what Europe called the “ New World ” continued. By the end of the century, the world of the Europeans was a lot bigger and opinions about that world were more varied and more uncertain than they had been for centuries.

Please note, this tutorial focuses on Western Europe. There are other forms of Christianity in other parts of the world including, for example, the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Additional resources

Baroque art, an introduction

Overview of the Reformation from BBC

Introduction to the Protestant Reformation: Setting the stage

More on Martin Luther

Learn more about the varieties of Protestantism

More on the Counter-Reformation

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Martin Luther’s Effects on the Protestant Reformation Essay

Introduction.

Martin Luther can be seen as a unique opinion leader who influenced people’s minds and behavior. This work uses the article Multiplex Network Ties and the Spatial Diffusion of Radical Innovations: Martin Luther’s Leadership in the Early Reformation as a primary source, as it reflects new research on Martin Luther’s personal influence in spreading the Reformation. The study of primary and additional sources shows that Martin Luther’s efforts became the basis for the rapid penetration of innovative and radical ideas contrary to established beliefs.

Martin Luther’s ideas and the Beginning of the Reformation

Reformation Day is celebrated on October 31, the day Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in 1517. His initial disputes were about the abuse of power and selling indulgences. Martin Luther considered the Rome center to be hopelessly corrupt. He was highly critical of the excessive “mixture of money with grace,” as well as the clergy’s attitude towards luxury and money (Bruni and Milbank 222). Over several years, the idea developed and grew into a full-fledged call for renewal and a break in relations with the centers in Rome.

The Protestant Reformation revealed the deep corruption of the church leadership and became one of the main issues for discussion. Ultimately it was not the only factor that influenced the development of Western civilization. Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German in 1522, whereas previously, the Scriptures were published only in Latin (Becker et al. 866). Others followed Luther’s example, and soon the Bible appeared in English. Religion and the word of God became available to ordinary people. As Luther dreamed, they could touch religious scriptures without the mediation of the clergy. The Reformation has become a powerful tool for developing literacy among the population.

Not all Reformation events were worthy of praise, and not all leaders were always models of Christian behavior. Thus, a group of reformers was martyred by their fellow reformers. Luther’s writings clearly showed anti-Semitic statements, although earlier works showed a more balanced attitude towards Jews. (Stern 6). Despite all, the Reformation was the most significant upheaval in the history of the Western church.

Martin Luther’s influence on the spread of the Christian Reformation

According to conventional opinion, the reason for the rapid spread of the Reformation was the development of printing. New research shows that while printing did play a significant role, Luther’s activism and connections also had an enormous impact (Becker et al. 861). Luther’s ideas gained institutional support in cities where he had personal connections.

According to Becker et al. 36 percent of the towns that had personal contact with Luther before 1522 accepted the Reformation by 1530 (861). In these towns, political alliances arose that promoted reforms in the social and religious spheres. Martin Luther used three methods to spread his ideas and influence:

• He actively published his works on theology and philosophy.
• He conducted extensive and varied correspondence.
• He visited cities where he preached and participated in discussions on religious topics.

Although Martin Luther spent most of his life as a monk and professor at a provincial university, he was in active correspondence with many people. Among his correspondents were not only priests but also the highest church dignitaries, high-ranking officials, aristocrats, and several prominent burghers (Becker et al. 865). They became conductors of Luther’s ideas to the broader masses. These connections gave impetus to the development of the Reformation, pushing in some cities for such changes as the abolition of privileges for the clergy.

In 1517, Luther began mobilizing his students to become apostles of the Protestant faith. The sparks of the Reformation soon flared far beyond the cities where Luther had connections and influence (Becker et al. 866). The spread was accompanied by the trade relations between towns and the missionary activity of his students. However, it would be a mistake to assume that only Martin Luther’s influence contributed to the Reformation’s spread. His ideas lay on the soil of a favorable historical context. For example, reformism in England was initiated by the political interests of Henry VIII, who “broke with the papacy of Clement VII in a series of legislative acts between 1532 and 1534” to initiate divorce (Tingle 129). Another reason is the appropriation of church wealth and the strengthening of the crown’s power over the church.

Previous attempts to reform some church principles were suppressed, while the Reformation quickly spread in Germany, throughout Europe, and later on other continents. The reason for this success was a combination of several factors: the timeliness and innovativeness of Luther’s ideas, his activism and personal connections with the clergy, government officials, and aristocracy, an organized missionary network of Luther’s students, and a proper a historical context where the ruling state structures are tired of the rigid dictatorship of the church. Another factor that influenced the rapid spread of the Reformation can be considered the development of printing and reliable postal service.

By 1530, the network of the Protestant Reformation had established a well-organized and structured network. In this process, Martin Luther was not only an inspirer and spiritual mentor but also a leader who formed and changed public opinion.

Works Cited

Becker, Sascha O., et al. “Multiplex Network Ties and the Spatial Diffusion of Radical Innovations: Martin Luther’s Leadership in the Early Reformation.” American Sociological Review, vol. 85, no. 5, 2020, pp 857-894. Web.

Bruni, Luigino, and John Milbank. “ Martin Luther and the Different Spirits of Capitalism in Europe .” International Review of Economics, vol. 66, no. 3, 2019, pp. 221-231. Web.

Stern, Robert. “Martin Luther.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2020.

Tingle, Elizabeth. “ Martin Luther and the Reformation in the Midlands. ” Midland History, vol. 44, no 2, 2019, pp. 128-143. Web.

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Essay on The Protestant Reformation and Christianity

PDF of essay on the Protestant Reformation and Christianity.

By Cole S. Rogers, Spring 2016

 The Roman Catholic Church dominated Western Europe up until the Protestant Reformation. The church prior to the Reformation owned nearly one-third of all European land.  With financial dominance, political influence, and publicly accepted doctrine, the church experienced extraordinary size. With the extreme success of the church, corruption followed, and the church began to profiteer off rituals. The sale of indulgences for profit promoted even further corruption within the church. At the time indulgences were being sold by the Catholic Church, the movement of the Renaissance was sweeping across all of Europe. The movement of the Renaissance created more and more public dissent towards the Catholic Church. This Renaissance would eventually lead to the Protestant Reformation.

The Protestant Reformation changed the religion of Christianity forever. Prior to the Reformation, the Renaissance sparked a change in the way of thinking throughout Europe. This change in thinking promoted a society based on individuality, and finding the truth.  Martin Luther, a German monk in the Catholic Church is directly responsible for creating the movement behind the Protestant Reformation. Luther through study and immersion in scripture discovered the corruption behind the Church, and publicly exposed this corruption.  Luther in 1517 nailed 95 Theses to the Church in Wittenberg, Germany.  The 95 Theses exposed the fundamental corruption behind the Church and specifically the sale of indulgences. Luther introduced the concept of salvation being gained only through faith in God. Luther’s work resulted in religious conflict throughout all of Europe.

The Protestant Reformation promoted self-immersion in scripture. Luther’s translation of the Bible from Latin to German gained extreme attention as for the first time in history average people began to explore scripture themselves rather than relying on the Catholic Church for everything. This ideology influenced the rise in several different movements of Christianity that each found individual similarities throughout scripture.  In this time period, a new era of churches arose throughout all of Europe, which challenged the Catholic Church and shaped the future of Christianity. 

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Cause and Effects of Protestant Reformation Essay

Major Causes and Effects of the Protestant Reformation There were several causes of the Protestant Reformation that effected society, politics, and religion in Europe during the 16th century. In my opinion, the immediate cause that started the reformation was Martin Luther’s act of posting the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in the Roman Empire. Luther was unhappy with the Catholic Church, and posted the Theses due to the sale of indulgences that was going on to raise money for the renovation of St. Peter’s cathedral from people who wished that their souls go from purgatory to heaven. Luther believed that an indulgence was justified for a person’s wrongdoing. By selling indulgences, the Church was giving forgiveness to …show more content…

It also allowed for mass production which put the Bible and other literature in the hands of a much larger audience. The effects on society were that common people were getting more educated on their own, and didn’t need the Church for guidance to run their lives. It also encouraged more people to learn how to write because there was a wider market for their words and opinions. Religion became more accessible to the common people. This allowed for people to come up with their own opinions on the translation of the Bible. The people began to challenge the Church’s authority because they no longer needed a Priest to translate to them. This would end up causing the Catholic Church to lose power. The next major cause of the Protestant Reformation was the creation of Lutheranism and the Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church changed the entire culture in Europe. It caused society as a whole to live more wholesome lives by cutting down on sinful acts and criminal offenses. The Church began to draw the line on what was acceptable and what was not. People began to live more holy lives. Since religion had so much to do with the government and politics at the time, it affected how governments had to be run because they could no longer pay off the Church to get their way. This caused a major political effect on the Catholic Church. Power struggles began to influence how rulers would deal with the Church. Luther’s

European Reformation Dbq

The Reformation affected the European civilization in many ways. Protestant and Catholic had a huge impact on the European civilization. The Reformation happened in the year 16c . Some causes of the Reformation was church corruption, Avignon Papacy, Conciliarism, Marsilius of Padua, Development of personal devotions, Papal need for money, and greed of secular leaders land. There was also few characteristics described in this civilization. The law in order was one of them. Kings were the highest leaders over everybody. People believed they were put in position by god and that it was god's will over their people. They had created the laws. Other characteristics were heredity, slide support from the middle class (towns), and organize their finances into reliable order. Rulers would want family members to continue the bloodline of a ruling of their people. Some families even fought because they wanted to be rulers. People separated by their class because they had a social class system. People at a high class relied on lower class people for support.

Causes Of The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation is when Lutheranism and other Protestant religions split from catholicism. This happened by Martin Luther posting 95 themes all over churches to bring attention to how wrong the catholic church has turned. Some examples of Protestant religions are Lutheranism, Anglican(church of England), and Calvinism. The underlying causes for the Reformation is: the people of power in the catholic church wanted a lot of money from the people, the pope had too much power, and the catholic church did not like how the Protestant churches were being run.

Protestant Reformation Dbq

The Protestant Reformation that occurred in Europe during the 16th century was caused by the overall corruption of the church and wrong use of papal power. The Reformation affected the power of the church and prompted the rest of the world to question their church’s authority.

Protestant Reformation Dbq Analysis

The Protestant Reformation, followed by the Catholic Reformation, was an attempt to cleanse the Catholic Church of all corruption and blind teaching. As presented in the documents provided, the Protestant and Catholic Reformations represented great change in the life of Europeans. Whether positively or negatively, almost every European citizen felt the impact of the Reformations on their lives. This was due largely to the fact that the Catholic Church struggled to defend ideas, affecting the clergy, peasants, and nobles all in different ways.

Protestant Reformation Dbq Essay

The Protestant Reformation forever changed the religious, social, and political aspects of the world. These changes forever altered the world and paved the way for revolutions to

The Protestant Reformation Essay

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 Protestant Reformation And The Reformation

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.

What Caused The Reformation Dbq Essay

The Reformation was a split in the Catholic Church during the fifteen-hundred. This schism had major economic, political, and religious implications and caused the creation of Protestant Christianity. It began when Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, where he argued for reform of the Catholic Church. One of the issues that bothered Luther the most, was the sale of indulgences. Church officials sold forgiveness for people's’ sins. While this was just the beginning, there were many factors which led to the beginning of the Reformation.

Essay On The Protestant Reformation

To begin, the Protestant Reformation began in reaction to the Catholic Church’s rather corrupt practices. Prior to the Reformation, the only major Christian denomination in Western Europe at the time was Catholicism, headed by the Pope in Rome. Through many acts of violence such as the formation of the Spanish Inquisition and the slaughter of the Cathars, amongst others, Europe’s Monarchs had wiped out and suppressed any form of religious competition. With the Catholic Church holding a tight stranglehold over Europe, Catholicism was the only option. This allowed

The protestant Reformation was a significant event in Christianity. It took place over the years of 1517 to the year of 1648. The Protestant Reformation was a 16th century movement that occurred throughout Europe. The Protestant Reformation was the event of a significant figure challenging the Roman Catholic Church, there teachings and religious way. There were earlier protests about the certain ways and aspects of the Roman Catholic Church but it wasn’t until a monk called Martin Luther that these became successful and led to major changes. Also Martin Luther challenged some of the techniques that were being used to extort money off people, an example of this is the sales of indulgences. This then lead to the end of the dominant figure of

The Protestant Reformation : The Impact Of The Protestant Reformation

The protestant reformation happened at the moment that it did because the Catholic Church was very a powerful force in Europe. It controlled people lives both spiritually and temporally. The church had so much power that it maintained political control over a large portion of Italy. The fact that the church held so much control over countries and governments became a point of contention among European countries such as the Holy Roman Empire, Italian city-states outside of Rome, England, France and Spain. The power of the rulers of these areas had greatly increased in the 14th century and they were eager to take the chances offered by a Reformation to weaken the grip of the Catholic Church in Europe and also to develop their own powers across the European continent. For quite some time the Catholic Church had been an institution rampant with internal struggles. Such as the Avignon Papacy from 1309 to 1377 when seven popes opted to live in Avignon, France and not reside in Rome which was and is the traditional home of the Papacy. The Pope and other high ranking church officials often lived opulent lifestyles rather than a more austere lifestyle that should befit a spiritual leader. Many church leaders and Popes maintained political powers. They led armies, waged wars and made many political decisions. Church offices were sold, and many Popes and bishops practiced nepotism to fill church offices. With all of these worldly issues for the Pope

Baroque Economy

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.

Essay about The Historical Impacts of the Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation and European expansion have both left political, social and economic impacts throughout history. The Protestant Reformation which was started in the 1500’s, by a Catholic man named Martin Luther caused political instability and fragmented the Holy Roman Empire. It economically caused the church to go bankrupt and socially allowed for the rise of individualism among the people; Luther gave the people of Europe the long needed reason to break free of the church. The Protestant Reformation and the need for new converts lead to the rise of European expansion. European expansion into the west resulted in a political increase of power for Europe, the social increase in slavery, disease and racism, as well as the

The Spread of Protestantism in the 1500's Essay

During sixteenth century Europe a wave of religious dissatisfaction swept the European continent. There were cries for the restructuring of the Catholic Church. These cries grew into more than just a simple remodeling of the Catholic faith they grew into the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther is credited for the reformation movement against the Catholic Church that began in 1517.

Martin Luther And The Protestant Reformation

The underlying causes of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century were social, political, and economic in nature. Financial burdens, humanist ideas, and corrupt popes set the stage for a change which was welcomed by Europe. These changes gave power to the people. Both negative and positive consequences followed the reformation. One action was the Counter Reformation in the Catholic Church. Negatively, however, persecutions of Protestant persisted for many years causing thousands of people to flee their homelands in search of religious freedom. Overall, the Protestant Reformation opened new avenues of thought in Europe.

Home — Essay Samples — Life — History of Taekwondo — Protestant Reformation [DBQ]

Protestant Reformation [dbq]

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

Words: 532 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Causes of the protestant reformation, primary source documents, effects of the protestant reformation, scholarly research.

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