Age of (overseas) exploration, calvinism, lutheranism

eco and social forces behind expansion

• population boom after black death, shortage of land and resources

• aspirations of gentry, younger sons w desire for social status and wealth (overseas)

• desire to break monopolies of trade of the middlemen (italians, arabs, etc)

• more $$$

• capitalism: dev of capital accumulation, invest, profits

Political forces behind expansion

• portugal, spain, england, france

• all had central monarchy, increasing power and wealth

Religious forces behind expansion

• missionary religions (reconquista in spain and europe

• evangelization: convert pagan ppl

tech forces behind expansion

• tech rev

• gunpowder (china), cannons and muskets

• shipping: better sailing ships, gunships

• manufacturing and trade

• gospel, gold, glory

Portuguese Empire

• coastline on Atlantic

• prince henry the navigator (1394-1460): science, nautical, exploration, along atlantic coast of Africa

• 15th c: settled islands in Atlantic (Azores)

• 1488: reach cape of good hope

• 1498: vasco da gama: reached india, all water route, 2/4 ships return to Lisbon w lots of spices

• Launched trade w east Indies (Spice islands)

• “Seaborne empire”: bases and ports, naval power vs the arabs

  • plantation system, largely based on slave labor

Spanish Empire

• reconquista: reigns of Isabella (Castille) and Ferdinand (aragon)

• married in 1469

year of 1492

1. End of Reconquista, fall of Granada in January of 1492

2. forced conversion/expuslion of Jews from spain

3. christopher columbus (1451-1506): “discovery” of Americas (west indies vs asia), 4 voyages in total

Important dates in spain

• 1444: Papal Line of demarcation for spain and portugal

• 1513: Balboa reaches pacific ocean

• 1519-22: Magellan-Portuguese who sailed for spain. first to circumnavigate the globe

Conquistadors

• Hernan Cortes (1485-1547): 1519-21, forces conquered Aztec empire (thru ships, guns, horses, allies, and disease)

  • sailed for cuba, had around 500 men

• francisco Pizarro (1471-1541): 1531-33, forces conquered Inca Empire

Amerindians

• population decline by 80-90% from 1492-1600

• Bartolome de las casas: spanish priest, engage in writings protecting rights of natives

• pop decline led to slave trade

Columbian Exchange

• from europe: wheat, grapes, horses, cows, pigs, gun powder, printing, tech

• from americas: tomatoes, potatoes, corn, peanuts, tobacco, cocao (chocolate)

• Diseases: from europe (small pox, measles), from Americas (syphilis?)-dont know where syphilis came from

• natives lacked immunity

State of Catholic church

• old view: corruption and opposition, need to reform

• new consensus: problems but church was reasonably popular

  • some reforms movements on the way

Development of Protestantism/lutheranism

• developed in decentralized cities

• martin Luther (1483-1546): from saxony (north germany)

• at 21 entered an augustian monastery and ordained for Catholic faith

• became influential professor at new U of Wildenberg

• preoccupied w/ question of his salvation and turned to bible

• discovered that faith alone (sola fide) can give you salvation, through gods free gift of grade (sola gratia)

Indulgences

• way one could obtain forgiveness of sins

• 1517: issue of selling indulgences

• 95 theses: attacked indulgences

• from latin to german, spread quickly in HRE

• spread thru printing press

• frederick, elector of saxony protected luther

• 1519: charles V elected as holy roman emperor, opposed Luther

Leipzig debate

argues that church councils could be wrong, saw bible as sole source of certainty (sola scriptura)

important tracts in 1520

• series of important tracts

• “address to the christian nobility”: urged leaders to take up reeform (written in german)

• Babylonian captivity of church: church is captive to the papacy

• luther said only 2 sacraments (vs 7), Baptism and communion

Luther @ the Council (Diet) of Worms

• Luther charged w hearsay, called upon to recant

• he answered that he could/would not unless
  convinced of error based on Scripture or clear reason

• put under the ban of empire and excommunicated

• 1522: went into hiding and translated new testament to german (eventually whole bible)

appeal and spread of lutheranism

• printing press got message across, preaching

• spreads in the cities, middle class, some nobility, german nationalists

peasant support of lutheranism

• peasants led a tough life, heard about luther, thought he would agree w their revolt

• 1524-1425: peasants Revolt, spread to 1/3 of germany

• Luther was terrified, urged princes to put down revolt

• result was that peasants generally opposed Lutheranism

Religion and politics

• Charles V (HRE): opposed Luther but only had other issues

  • france, ottomans/turks, protestant princes

• 1555: Peace of Augsburge-in HRE, each prince/ruler of a territory would decide religion (cath or luth)

  • decentralization of Germany

Radical Reform

• Ulrich Zwingli (1481-1531)

• promoted swiss reformation in Zurich

• broke with luther, over interpretation of Eucharist

  • catholics: transubstantiation

  • Luther: consubstantiation

  • Zwingli: symbolic presence

• result: divide bw Germany and swiss

Anabaptist

• rejected baptism as infant, instead adult/second baptism

• became more egalitarian: social and economic equality

• 1534: munster (Germany) – instituted a radical society, with seizure of
  property, burning of books, polygamy, etc.

• Horrified both Catholic and Protestant leaders, and violently put down

• A more moderate, and pacifist, version of Anabaptism emerged

Quietism

• world was evil, withdrawal from world

• quakers were examples

John Calvin

• French Scholar, reformer, and theoligan

• 1534 he moved to geneva

• agreed w Luther at first, then that he did not go far enough

• believed in the power of god over sinful humanity, stressed humanity’s corruption

Predestination

• calvinist belief that god had predetermined the salvation of certain individuals (the elect)

• reprobate cannot be saved

vocation

• gods calling for what job someone should do

The institutes of Christian religion

• 1536

• theology outlining major Calvinist beliefs

Geneva

• Geneva soon became a theocracy: ruled by strict moral code, bound all residents

• became center of international protestantism (protestant rome)