Unit 2: Christendom Fractured — The Age of Reformation & Religious Wars (c. 1450–1648)

Christian Humanism

A movement that sought to reform the Church from within by focusing on early Christian texts.

Simony

The buying and selling of high church offices.

Nepotism

The practice of appointing relatives to positions of power within the Church.

Pluralism & Absenteeism

Clergy holding multiple benefices, hiring others to perform duties.

Indulgences

Certificates sold by the Church that purportedly reduced time in Purgatory.

Erasmus

A Dutch humanist who criticized clerical hypocrisy and called for reform.

95 Theses

A document by Martin Luther attacking the sale of indulgences.

Diet of Worms

A council that called Luther to recant his teachings, which he refused.

Confession of Augsburg

A formal statement of Lutheran beliefs established in 1530.

Sola Fide

The doctrine that salvation comes through faith alone.

Sola Scriptura

The belief that the Bible is the only authority on Christian faith.

Priesthood of All Believers

The idea that all Christians have direct access to God.

German Peasants' War

A revolt by peasants inspired by Luther's teachings on spiritual freedom.

Zwingli

A Swiss reformer who disagreed with Luther on the nature of the Eucharist.

Calvinism

A branch of Protestantism founded by John Calvin, emphasizing predestination.

TULIP

An acronym summarizing the key beliefs of Calvinism: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints.

Predestination

The belief that God has predetermined who will be saved and who will be damned.

Geneva Consistory

A moral court established by Calvin to govern private lives in Geneva.

Anabaptists

Radical reformers who rejected infant baptism and advocated for separation of church and state.

Act of Supremacy

The 1534 act declaring the monarch as the head of the Church of England.

Council of Trent

A council called to address Church reforms and reaffirm Catholic doctrine.

Jesuits

A religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola focused on education and missionary work.

Roman Inquisition

A committee with judicial authority to root out heresy among Catholics.

Index of Prohibited Books

A list of forbidden readings aimed at suppressing heretical ideas.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

A massacre of Huguenots in 1572 during the French Wars of Religion.

Edict of Nantes

A decree granting religious toleration to Huguenots in France.

Thirty Years' War

A catastrophic conflict in Europe marked by both religious and political struggles.

Peace of Westphalia

The treaty that ended the Thirty Years' War, establishing sovereignty for numerous states.

Mannerism

An art style reflecting the chaos of the Reformation era, characterized by distorted figures.

Baroque Art

An art movement characterized by dramatic use of light and emotion, often used as Church propaganda.

El Greco

A painter associated with the Mannerism art style.

Bernini

An artist known for creating dramatic Baroque sculptures.

Caravaggio

A Baroque painter renowned for his usage of tenebrism and emotional expressions.

Public Morals

Attempts by both Catholic and Protestant states to regulate leisure and morality.

Witchcraft Craze

A period of persecution where thousands, primarily women, were executed for witchcraft.

Luther's Reaction to Peasants' War

Luther condemned the revolt, siding with the nobles and defending the political hierarchy.

Anglicanism

The branch of Protestantism established by Henry VIII, initially retaining Catholic practices.

Common Misconception about Luther

Many confuse Luther's spiritual teachings as support for political or social equality.

Calvin's Theocracy in Geneva

A government led by religious leaders enforcing moral conduct and discipline.

Wycliffe and Jan Hus

Early critics of the Church who foreshadowed the Reformation.

Thomas More

English humanist who advocated for communal living and education in his work Utopia.

Luther's 3 Pillars of Theology

Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Priesthood of All Believers.

Political vs Theological Reformation

England's break from the Church was primarily political rather than theological.

Impact of the Protestant Reformation on Education

Luther promoted universal literacy to encourage personal Bible reading.

Role of Women in Protestantism

Women were seen as household managers and educators but remained subordinate.

Religious Tolerance

While the Reformation encouraged individual Bible reading, it did not initially promote religious toleration.