Martin Luther and the Reformation

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1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 MARTIN LUTHER AND EUROPEAN HISTORY07 THE REFORMATION – The Historical Importance of Religion Use the information in this page to understand the causes of the Reformation. 3 2 The Influence of the Abuses in the Catholic Church 1 Wealth of the Church Renaissance The wealth and power of the By 1500, the Catholic The Renaissance Church led to many abuses. The Church had great wealth. In encouraged people to main abuses in the Church were: Germany, the Catholic Church question everything. (i) Nepotism: Many relations of owned about one-third This questioning spirit nobles, cardinals and bishops of the land. Many people was applied to all areas were appointed to church were jealous of this wealth. of knowledge, including offices or positions. This was Princes and kings wanted religion. Many scholars called nepotism. this wealth to build up their could now read the Bible (ii) Simony: This was the countries. There was also a for themselves. They buying and selling of church dislike amongst people to criticised the Catholic positions. Pope Alexander VI paying extra taxes or church Church and said that it was bought his election as pope dues to an outside power in not following what was by providing more church Rome. written in the Bible. positions for the cardinals who elected him. (iii) Pluralism: Some cardinals and bishops had more than one diocese (the area under Causes of the Reformation the control of a bishop). This was called pluralism. Each extra diocese provided more income or money for them. (iv) Absenteeism: Cardinals and 4 bishops who had more than The Power of Kings and Princes one diocese could only live Kings were uniting their countries 5 in one of them, so they were under their own rule. They had The Printing Press absent from the others. This brought independent lords under The printing press was called absenteeism. control, and now they wanted to had reached every They neglected their duties in control the power and influence of major town in absentee dioceses. the Catholic Church. Europe. Criticism (v) Bad organisation: The They were supported by a growing of the Catholic Catholic Church was badly middle class in the towns and cities Church could be organised. Popes, cardinals who were opposed to a church spread quickly and bishops behaved like dominated by the sons of wealthy through books and princes. Some built great nobles. pamphlets. palaces such as Cardinal Wolsey’s building of Hampton Court Palace in England. They were also too interested 6 in politics, and organised Martin Luther hunting and drinking All of these causes came together in Germany in the early 16th century. parties. Priests were often The Reformation began here when an Augustinian friar named Martin uneducated. Many could not Luther questioned the way the Catholic Church was run. read the Bible or preach. 71 03 Making History TRB.indd 71 10/07/2018 13:08.

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