Narendran Sairam

9 Yale
Mr. Nick Noble
History
Reformation Assignment
The Reformation and its Causes

The reformation was a period roughly after the renaissance. This period, from 1515 – 1650, is

called the reformation because the Catholic Church was reformed in favor of the common people.

During this period many leaders arose against the Catholic Church's selling of indulgences and formed

their own churches. These Churches that split away from the Catholic Church were called the

Protestant or protesting church.

The movement to reform Catholic Church in Europe was begun by a man named Martin Luther.

During the reign of a corrupt, Borgia Pope, Martin Luther, a German priest from Wittenburg finds out

that the Church is selling indulgences. This angers Luther. So, in 1517, Luther nails to the door of the

Catholic church in Wittenburg, 95 theses or charges against the Catholic Church. After being

excommunicated and being accused of heresy, Luther decides to establish a Church of his own. And so

the Lutheran church came into existence.

Luther's actions in Wittenburg inspired other priests like Zwingli, Calvin and Knox in other

places. In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin found the Calvinist or congregational Church

that believed in pre-destination. Similarly, in Scotland, John Knox founds the Presbyterian Church.

The time period between 1515 and 1650 is known as the reformation due to the reformation of

the Catholic Church. Leaders like Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin and John Knox, outraged

by the corruption and behavior of the Catholic Church found their own Churches called the protestant

Churches. The main reason for this reformation was the selling of indulgences.

The late renaissance was a period of corrupt popes like the Borgia Popes. They said that if a

person was to give them money they would forgive that person and make sure that they went to heaven

no matter what they did. The priests, the bishops and sometimes even the pope did not practice
celibacy. The bible was written in Latin, Jewish or Hebrew and the rituals were also done in the holy

languages before William Tyndale and John Wycliffe came along. These are some of the reasons that

the reformation took place and these are also reasons because of which the people willingly joined the

lenient protestant Chuches.