Reformation

1. Causes of the Reformation in GermanyCauses of the Reformation in Germany
Richard Fitzsimmons
Strathallan School

2. Historical debate …Historical debate …
 The Church was on the brink of collapse – as a result of the
abuses and corruption, the Church could no longer provide for the
spiritual needs of the people. By extension, this means a Church
unable or unwilling to reform itself. The old A Level question used
to describe the Church as a ‘rotting edifice ready to topple’.
 The Catholic Church was in a healthy state generally, providing a
good ‘service’ for the people despite isolated cases of bad
behaviour, ignorance among the clergy etc. This was a thriving
Church, the evidence for which was the continued and increasing
lay involvement in local churches and parishes.
There are two broad interpretations of the state of the Catholic
Church on the eve of Reformation …

3. Causes of the Reformation in Germany …Causes of the Reformation in Germany …
 Invention of the printing
presses made the spread of
ideas to a mass audience
quicker and more reliable
 Renaissance thinking
encouraged greater
questioning of the Bible, and a
search to recover
‘uncorrupted’ texts from the
original languages
 Beginnings of German
nationalism, and hatred of
foreigners, particularly
Italians
 Unpopularity of Rome among
most Germans – to do with the
amount of Papal taxation
leaving Germany and going to
rebuild St Peter’s in Rome
Cultural causes Social causes

4. Causes of the Reformation in Germany …Causes of the Reformation in Germany …
 Long-term economic
hardships in some parts
of Europe
 Depressed condition of
German peasants and
lesser nobility was
blamed on Church greed
 Beginnings of price
inflation
 Fragmentary nature of the
HRE, weakened the ability of
emperors to influence events
or resist the Papal demands
for money
 Lack of strong central
institutions – no imperial army,
regular taxation or effective
machinery of government
Economic causes Political causes

5. Triggers of the Reformation inTriggers of the Reformation in
Germany …Germany …
 Martin Luther’s personal
doubts
 Indulgence selling in 1517
 Rapid transmission of Luther’s
works
 University environment in
which Luther worked
Religious
Cultural
Social
 Declining social status of
some elements of German
society – Imperial Knights and
peasants in the face of
stronger princes and towns
Political
 Multi-national Empire distracted
Charles V’s attention
 Support/protection that Luther
received from Elector Frederick
the Wise
 Imperial distractions with France
and Italy

6. Was the Papacy to blame … ?Was the Papacy to blame … ?
 Renaissance Popes hardly set a good
example for the faithful …
- Alexander VI (1492-1503): owed
position to electoral bribery, tried to
bring the Church under control, but
quickly fell from grace – string of
mistresses and illegitimate children.
Politics and family advancement were
more important than religion. Died by
poison at a dinner party.
- Julius II (1503-13): better known as
the warrior Pope, more concerned with
politics and fighting – conflicts with
both France and the HRE
- Leo X (1513-21): obsessed with re-
building St Peter’s basilica in Rome
 Whilst we have seen that
most things are relatively ok
in the Church universal,
nevertheless we need to be
able to explain the
Reformation somehow…
corruption did exist,
particularly at the top of the
Church hierarchy

7. Why had the Church beenWhy had the Church been
challenged in the past ?challenged in the past ?
 The Bohemian reformer Jan Hus (burned in 1415) had attacked the
corruption of the Church, authority of the Pope (John XXIII) and
communion (he wanted it in both kinds). He was summoned before the
Council of Constance where he refused to recant his ideas.
 The English reformer John Wyclif (died 1384) had argued that
Scriptures were the only true authority, and he attacked indulgences. He
was burned posthumously.
 Both men espoused ideas that Luther took up later, but neither had
started a popular or successful movement – perhaps there was something
special about Luther and his environment ?
Corruption undoubtedly existed at the top of the Church hierarchy,
but did people really care anyway ? This corruption did spread down
into the other ranks of clergy, but was hardly widespread. It left the
Church open to attack, but not enough to bring it down … in fact, the
Church had been attacked before …

8. Did Humanism have the key ?Did Humanism have the key ?
 Humanism was an intellectual
movement that sought to study,
understand and translate the
original sciptural texts so as to
recover uncorrupted
interpretations.
 By questioning the veracity of
the scriptures, the Humanists put
the spotlight on other areas of
concern in the Church – morality
of the clergy, interpretations of
key catholic doctrines (purgatory,
indulgences, penance etc).
 BUT, they were no threat to the
Church, they were part of it. Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

9. Conclusions ?Conclusions ?
 There is scant evidence to support the claim that the Church was
in imminent danger of collapse as it entered the 16th
century …
 Corruption and abuses of position and power had been part of
clerical life for centuries, but whilst it may have been regarded
as the norm amongst the higher clergy, people were beginning to
notice it more often at lower levels
 Issues of Papal supremacy and authority which had been a
feature of the 15th
century were not going to go away, but again
were to come to prominence in Luther’s protest
 Anticlericalism, and the peculiarly German environment, may have
contributed to Luther’s eventual revolt in 1517-20.
Whatever the motive, Luther’s rebellion was to prove radical and
one that would eventually split the Church in many directions in
the following two generations.

10. Conclusions ?Conclusions ?
 There is scant evidence to support the claim that the Church was
in imminent danger of collapse as it entered the 16th
century …
 Corruption and abuses of position and power had been part of
clerical life for centuries, but whilst it may have been regarded
as the norm amongst the higher clergy, people were beginning to
notice it more often at lower levels
 Issues of Papal supremacy and authority which had been a
feature of the 15th
century were not going to go away, but again
were to come to prominence in Luther’s protest
 Anticlericalism, and the peculiarly German environment, may have
contributed to Luther’s eventual revolt in 1517-20.
Whatever the motive, Luther’s rebellion was to prove radical and
one that would eventually split the Church in many directions in
the following two generations.