1
The Protestant Reformation
Directions: Read the Terms and Names. Then read the following passage, circling terms you
don’t know and defining them in terms you understand. Finally, reread the passage and use the
information presented here to fill in the Cornell Notes form that accompanies this article.
Origins of the Reformation
Since the fall of the Roman Empire in AD
500, the single most powerful organization in
Europe was the Catholic Church. By 1500,
however, the Church had begun to weaken.
Why?
One reason was the Renaissance. Artists
and writers from this time focused on secular
subjects (not church topics) and encouraged
people to think about the importance of the
individual. According to the Church, religious
ideas and the community were more
important. So, Renaissance thinking and
artwork subtly challenged Church authority.
Another cause was the printing press, a
device invented (or introduced) to Europe in
1440 by German craftsman Johann
Gutenberg. Books and other documents
became much easier to produce (and thus
less expensive). Many of the documents being printed at this time helped to spread
these secular, Renaissance ideas.
Also, some rulers began to challenge the Church’s political power. Germany, for
example, was divided into hundreds of competing kingdoms. It was difficult for the pope
or anyone else to control this area.
Finally, mercants throughout Europe at this time had to pay taxes to the Roman
Catholic Church. Many merchants in Northern Europe didn't feel very connected to the
Church based in Rome, and they resented paying these church taxes.
All of these social, political, and economic challenges and changes added up to big
problems for the Catholic Church. A new push for religious reform - the Reformation -
was about to began in Germany, and then sweep over the rest of Europe.
Why was the Church Criticized?
Some of the Church's problems in the 1500s were its own making. Popes at this
time seemed more concerned with luxury and political power than with spiritual matters.
The lower clergy had faults, too. Many local priests lacked education and were not able
to teach people. Some priests lived immoral lives.
Name
Period
Date
T
ERMS AND NAMES
Johann Gutenberg: German craftsman
who developed the printing press
indulgence: Release from punishments
due for a sin
Reformation: 16th-century movement for
religious reform, leading to the
founding of new Christian churches
Lutheran: Member of a Protestant church
founded on the teachings of Martin
Luther
Protestant: Member of a Christian church
founded on the principles of the
Reformation
Peace of Augsburg: Agreement in 1555
declaring that the religion of each
German state would be decided by
its ruler
Alexis Cash 3rd 10-31-23
