The Reformation occurred in the beginning of the sixteenth century, when Western Europe experienced

a wide range of social, artistic, and geo-political changes as a result of a conflict within the Catholic
Church. The Reformation movement began in 1517, when Martin Luther posted a list of grievances,
called the Ninety-Five Theses, against the Roman Catholic Church. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a
member of the Augustinians, and assigned as a lecturer at the University of Wittenberg. While working
as a parish priest, Luther became disgusted by the Catholic Churchs practice of selling indulgences. The
purchase of an indulgence assures the buyer a remission of sins and thus a shorter period in purgatory.
The main purpose of the Ninety-Five Theses was to eliminate the sale of indulgences. The Church
demanded Luther to retract a number of his protests, and he refused. He was then summoned to an
Imperial Diet in Augsburg in 1518. Luther used the time he had, before he would answer for his crimes,
to write his reform, which included: National, rather than Roman, control of church finances, permission
for the clergy to marry, and a series of sacramental reforms which reduce the sacraments to Baptism, a
reformed Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. Luther was condemned by Pope Leo X, and was forced to live in
hiding for a year after escaping, but not before his reform spread and took root. John Calvin was a
French lawyer who fled France after his conversion to the Protestant cause. John Calvin was one of the
great leaders of the Reformation.
The Reformation led to the north-south split in Europe. The northern European countries became
Protestant and the southern European countries remained Catholic. The Protestants rejected the use of
visual arts in the church. Iconoclasm swept through the north, and stained glass windows were broken,
images of the saints were destroyed, and the pipe organs were removed from the churches.
The Reformation was under way and even the common people perceived it as a means of social
empowerment. This led to the Peasants War of 1524. The war was in response to Luthers urgings of
democratic reform and a reaction to an unbalanced social system. Luther was outraged and disgusted
with the peasant class, and made it well known in his pamphlet, Against the Thieving and Murderous
Gangs of Peasants. The social revolt had unfortunate consequences for Luthers reformation. More
extreme Reformers began to make demands for change. Ulrich Zwingli was among those Reformers. He
wanted all ritual abolished. No imagery was accepted, including the crucifix, bishops crozier, Chalice of
the Holy wine, clerical vestments, or organ music.
The Roman Church responded to these demands with the Counter-Reformation. The Jesuits, founded by
Ignatius of Loyola, aggressively led a campaign to support Catholic doctrine. Charles V recommended the
papal Curia convene to resolve issues of internal dispute, and after many delays a council convened in
Trent in December 1545. Three basic issues were under examination; two involved broad resolves to
clarify doctrinal issues in order to still internal disputes and definitively solve the problem of
ecclesiastical abuses among the clergy. The third was the initiation of a crusade against the infidels.
By the time Martin Luther died in 1546 and John Calvin in 1564 the Reformation message was complete.
The Protestant movement had split into a number of sectarian churches, and no more great Protestant
reformers appeared. Ignatius of Loyola died in 1556 and the Council of Trent ended in 1563, thus also
bringing the Counter-Reformation to a halt.

Key Vocabulary:
Augustinian- of or relating to St. Augustine of Hippo or his theological doctrines.
Bishop-a senior member of the Christian clergy, typically in charge of a diocese and empowered to
confer holy orders.
Bishops Crozier - is a tall walking stick, or staff used by a bishop at various functions.
Counter-Reformation- the Catholic Churchs response to the Reformation.
Ecclesiastical- of or relating to the Christian Church or its clergy.
Geo-political- the study of how geography and economics have an effect on politics.
Holy Eucharist- the physical reenactment of Christs last supper.
Iconoclasm- is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and symbols.
Imperial Diet- means the highest representative assembly in an empire.
Indulgences- is a means by which a person takes away some of the temporal punishment due from his
sins.
Mass- the central act of worship in the Catholic Church.
Ninety-Five Theses- a list of grievances against the Catholic Church, written by Martin Luther in 1517.
Papal Curia- a group of officials who assist in the governance of a particular church.
Lesson Plan Resources: 1.
http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/middleages/reform_lesson.htm 2.
http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/lesson_plans/1072/The%20Refor mation.pdf 3.
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Protestant-Reformation-Lesson-PlanActivityTRICK-TOREMEMBER-548157 4.
https://sheg.stanford.edu/martin-luther 5.
http://sse6348-renaissance.weebly.com/lesson-planprocedures.html
Technology Resources: 1.
http://worldhistory.mrdonn.org/powerpoints/reformation.html 2.
http://www.slideshare.net/marshascott/john-calvin-reformation 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyVrPIp4QsA 4.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK3iRNWUths&feature=youtu.be 5.

http://www.google.com/url?url=http://orhs.conroeisd.net/teachers/bjyoung/FOV100216A26/Counter%2520Reformation%2520Powerpoint.ppt&rct=j&frm=1&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=vNJfV
M3PCImQyQTD-IC4CQ&ved=0CBQQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNFrALIQLqzGkXPM-c2DSXWqslaroQ