Video Notes: Protestant Reformation Key Terms

46 vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on Simony to Ignatius Loyola.

Simony

The selling or buying of a position in a Christian church.

Pluralism

Holding multiple church offices at once to increase wealth; leads to absenteeism.

Absenteeism

When a church official holds multiple positions, causing them to be absent from duties and weakening church governance.

Sale of indulgences

Payment to the Church to absolve sins or loved ones' sins; believed to shorten time in purgatory and widely used to gain power and money.

Martin Luther

German monk who sparked the Reformation by criticizing the Roman Catholic Church and posting the 95 Theses in 1517.

95 Theses

Luther’s list of criticisms against the Roman Catholic Church; catalyst for the Protestant Reformation.

Johann Tetzel

Lead official selling indulgences; famous for the slogan about coin in the coffer and the soul in purgatory.

Johann Eck

Catholic theologian who defended Catholicism and argued Luther and Hus shared similar ideas in the Leipzig Debate.

Priesthood of all believers

Luther’s idea that all believers could read and interpret the Bible, undermining clerical exclusivity.

Diet of Worms

1521 assembly where Luther refused to recant his beliefs.

Index of Prohibited Books

Books that supported Protestantism or that were overly critical of the Church that were banned from Catholic countries

Charles V

Holy Roman Emperor who sought religious unity in Europe and opposed Protestantism; allied with the pope to stamp out heresy.

Schmalkaldic League

Coalition of Lutheran princes and imperial cities formed to defend against Charles V.

Peace of Augsburg (1555)

1555 treaty recognizing Lutheranism in Germany and allowing local rulers to choose between Lutheranism and Catholicism.

German Peasants' War

Revolt of 1524–1525; Luther urged nobles to suppress it and later issued a treatise against the revolts.

Michael Servetus

Spanish theologian who advocated anti-Trinitarian views; executed in Geneva in 1553.

John of Leyden

Leader of the radical Anabaptists in Münster, proclaimed the New Jerusalem.

Anabaptists

Protestant sect advocating adult baptism, pacifism, separation of church and state, and democratic church governance.

Elizabethan Settlement

Elizabeth and Parliament required conformity to the Church of England but people were, in effect, allowed to worship Protestantism and Catholicism privately

Ulrich Zwingli

Leader of the Reformation in Switzerland; preached from Erasmus’ text; regarded the Last Supper as symbolic.

Marburg Colloquy

Meeting between Luther and Zwingli to unite their movements; failed over the nature of communion.

John Calvin

Religious reformer who emphasized predestination and morality; founded Calvinism.

Predestination

Belief that God has already chosen who will be saved.

Thirty-Nine Articles

Issued by Elizabeth I, these provided for the foundation of the Anglican Church and defined all the rules; maintained all the outward appearances of Catholicism but implanted Protestant doctrine into the Church of England.

John Knox

Scottish theologian who founded Presbyterianism in Scotland and was a follower of Calvin.

Presbyterianism

A branch of Protestantism in Scotland with no bishops and governance by elders.

Huguenots

French Calvinists persecuted by French kings, contributing to religious conflict in France.

Puritans

English Protestants who sought to purify the Church of England; many settled in Massachusetts.

English Reformation

Series of events in 16th-century England where the Church of England broke from Rome.

William Tyndale

English scholar who translated the Bible into English; foundational for later English translations.

Henry VIII

English king who created the Church of England after the Pope refused to annul his marriage.

In Defense of the Seven Sacraments

Book by Henry VIII defending Catholicism against Luther's reforms.

Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII’s first wife; mother of Mary I; her marriage disputes helped trigger England’s break with Rome.

Thomas Wolsey

Henry VIII’s high-ranking minister who failed to secure papal annulment for Henry’s marriage.

Act of Supremacy

1534 law declaring the king head of the Church of England, breaking with Rome.

Pilgrimage of Grace

1536 northern uprising in opposition to Henry VIII’s Reformation.

Statute of the Six Articles

1539 law upholding seven sacraments and Catholic theology in England.

Edward VI

Henry VIII’s son; ruled at a young age; his regency moved England toward Protestantism.

Mary Tudor

Mary I; restored Catholicism; earned the nickname Bloody Mary for persecuting Protestants.

Elizabeth I politique

English queen who pursued a politique settlement, balancing Protestant and Catholic interests.

Mary Stuart

Mary, Queen of Scots; Catholic claimant to the English throne; executed for plotting against Elizabeth.

Teresa de Avila

Spanish reformer who led monastic reforms and emphasized personal prayer.

Catholic and Counter Reformation

Catholic Church’s internal reform and response to Protestantism, culminating in renewed doctrine and discipline.

Council of Trent

Catholic council that reaffirmed Catholic doctrine and corrected abuses; endorsed education and reform.

Jesuits

Society of Jesus; educated missionary order founded to reform the church and oppose Protestantism.

Ignatius Loyola

Spanish churchman and founder of the Jesuits; helped shape the Catholic Reformation (1491–1556).