The Reformation: Key Figures and Terms

Flashcards covering key figures and terms related to the Protestant Reformation based on the provided lecture notes. Each card presents a vocabulary term and its definition.

Martin Luther

Started the Reformation with his 95 Theses.

John Calvin

French reformer who taught predestination.

Ulrich Zwingli

Swiss reformer who spread Protestantism.

John Knox

Brought Calvin’s ideas to Scotland and began the Presbyterian Church.

Henry VIII

Broke from Rome and created the Church of England.

Johann Tetzel

Sold indulgences and defended Catholic practices.

Queen Elizabeth I

Made England Protestant but balanced traditions for unity.

Girolamo Savonarola

Preached reform before Luther and was executed for opposing the pope.

Michelangelo

Renaissance artist, part of the culture that inspired new thinking.

Indulgences

Pieces of paper sold by the Catholic Church claiming to reduce punishment for sins, which Luther protested against.

Anti-Semitism

Hatred or unfair treatment of Jewish people, present in both Catholic and Protestant lands during the Reformation.

Confessions

Admitting sins to a priest in the Catholic Church, a practice questioned by reformers.

Salvation

The idea of how people are saved (go to heaven); Protestants taught it was by faith alone.

95 Theses

Martin Luther’s list of complaints written in 1517 against indulgences and corruption in the Catholic Church.

Diet of Augsburg

A big meeting in Germany where leaders tried to settle the religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants.

Predestination

John Calvin’s belief that God already knows who will be saved and who won’t.

Puritans

A Protestant group in England who wanted to “purify” the Church of England of Catholic practices.

Baptists

A Protestant group that believed in baptizing only adults who choose faith (not babies).

Council of Trent

A major Catholic meeting (1545–1563) where the Church responded to the Reformation, fixing corruption but rejecting Protestant teachings.