AP European History: Reformation, Religious Wars, and Cultural Shifts

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the Protestant Reformation, Counter-Reformation, theological disputes, religious wars, and Baroque culture.

Laity

Ordinary, non-ordained members of society who are not part of the clergy.

Tithe

A mandatory 10% religious tax paid directly to the Church rather than secular governments.

Simony

The corrupt selling of church offices to the highest bidder.

Absenteeism

The practice of bishops holding church offices while never living in or visiting their dioceses, frequently paired with pluralism.

Pluralism

The practice of holding multiple church offices simultaneously in order to collect multiple salaries.

Johann Tetzel

A Dominican friar who aggressively marketed papal indulgences to finance the building of St. Peter's Basilica, directly prompting Martin Luther to issue the 95 Theses in 1517.

Diet of Worms (1521)

An imperial assembly summoned by Charles V where Martin Luther refused to recant his criticisms of the papacy, declaring his conscience captive to the Word of God.

Edict of Worms

An official imperial decree issued by Charles V declaring Martin Luther an outlaw and a heretic.

German Peasants' War (1524–1525)

A widespread uprising fiercely condemned by Martin Luther in 'Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants,' which was crushed and cemented Lutheranism as socially conservative.

Sola Fide

The Protestant doctrine that salvation is achieved through 'Faith Alone' rather than faith combined with good works.

Sola Scriptura

The Protestant principle that 'Scripture Alone' serves as the supreme authority and source of religious truth.

Transubstantiation

The Catholic doctrine asserting that the bread and wine literally transform into the physical body and blood of Christ during the Eucharist.

Consubstantiation

The Lutheran Eucharistic view that Christ is spiritually co-present alongside the bread and wine.

Priesthood of All Believers

The key Lutheran doctrine asserting that all Christian believers possess direct spiritual access to God without requiring mediation by an ordained hierarchy.

Anabaptism

A Protestant branch defined by the practice of adult baptism only, a purely memorial view of communion, and complete separation of church and state.

Predestination

The central Calvinist doctrine stating that God determined before the creation of the world who would be saved (the 'Elect') and who would be damned.

Consistory

A church council in Geneva that strictly monitored and enforced public and private moral behavior under John Calvin's theocratic government.

Huguenots

The historical name for French Calvinist Protestants.

Schmalkaldic League

A defensive military alliance organized by German Lutheran princes to resist Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Act of Supremacy (1534)

Legislation enacted under Henry VIII declaring the English monarch to be the 'only supreme head on earth of the Church of England.'

Via Media

The Elizabethan religious settlement ('Middle Way') combining Protestant theology and two sacraments with traditional Catholic hierarchy, vestments, and liturgical practices.

Council of Trent (1545–1563)

The ecumenical Catholic council that reaffirmed traditional doctrines—including salvation by faith and works, the seven sacraments, and transubstantiation—while prohibiting simony, absenteeism, and the sale of indulgences.

Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

A disciplined religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola that combated Protestantism by establishing elite academic institutions and conducting global missionary work.

Iconoclasm

The intentional Protestant destruction of religious images, statues, and stained glass windows, viewed as idolatrous violations of the Second Commandment.

El Escorial

Philip II's austere granite palace-monastery outside Madrid, constructed around a central church altar to reflect Counter-Reformation centralized Catholic rule.

Raison d'état

A political principle popularized by Cardinal Richelieu asserting that the survival and interests of the state supersede all moral, legal, or religious codes.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre (1572)

A state-sanctioned Catholic mob attack that originated in Paris and resulted in the slaughter of more than 10,000 Huguenots across France.

Edict of Nantes (1598)

A royal decree issued by Henry IV of France granting Huguenots civil rights, freedom of worship, and the right to maintain fortified towns.

Union of Utrecht (1579)

An alliance of the seven northern, Calvinist Low Country provinces led by Holland that declared independence from the Spanish Catholic Empire.

Battle of Lepanto (1571)

A major naval engagement where a Spanish-led Catholic coalition defeated the Ottoman fleet off Greece, stopping Ottoman westward naval expansion.

Peace of Westphalia (1648)

The diplomatic treaty ending the Thirty Years' War that added Calvinism to the Peace of Augsburg, recognized Swiss and Dutch independence, and granted sovereignty to over 300 German princes.

Gustavus Adolphus

The Swedish king whose military innovations in combined arms, mobile artillery, and disciplined salvo firing revolutionized European warfare during the Thirty Years' War.

Baroque Art

An artistic movement (c. 1580–1750) promoted by the Counter-Reformation, marked by intense emotional drama, dynamic movement, and theatrical lighting.

Chiaroscuro

The artistic technique utilizing dramatic, high-contrast juxtapositions of intense light and deep shadow, prominently featured in Baroque art.