EHAP Unit 2 ID Terms

Chapter 4-5, Protestant Reformation and Absolutism

Anticlericalism

Definition: Opposition to the clergy, often due to corruption, wealth, immorality, or abuse of power within the Catholic Church.

Significance: Fueled resentment, helped reformers gain followers, and set the stage for the Protestant Reformation by undermining the moral authority of the Catholic clergy.

Pluralism

Definition: The practice of church officials holding more than one office at the same time, often neglecting their duties and hiring poorly paid substitutes.

Significance: Contributed to the corruption of the church before the reformation, created resentment, led to absenteeism, and fueled calls for reform after being criticized by reformers.

Absenteeism

Definition: When a church official is absent because they held multiple positions and neglected their responsibilities.

Significance: Left many places without proper leadership, forced poorly trained substitutes to run local churches (weakening the Church’s reputation), and increased resentment toward the clergy and fueled reform movements, since it showed corruption and lack of accountability in the Catholic hierarchy.

Martin Luther

Definition: A central figure of the Reformation. He wrote the 95 Theses, criticizing the Church’s corruption, especially on indulgences. He taught that salvation came from faith alone and that Scripture was the sole source of religious authority.

Significance: Sparked the Protestant Reformation, dividing Western Christianity. Translated the Bible into German, standardizing German language and making it accessible. Challenged papal authority, shifting religious power to local rulers and secular governments, and reshaped Europe’s politics, society, and religion.

Indulgences

Definition: A practice where people could pay money to reduce the time they or their loved ones would spend in purgatory. The church claimed indulgences could buy forgiveness of sins or shorten punishment after death.

Significance: A main trigger of the Reformation, being criticized by the 95 Theses. It showed how corrupt and greedy the church had become, fueling anticlericalism and sparking widespread anger, allowing Protestant ideas to spread quickly.

95 Theses

Definition: A document written by Martin Luther that lists 95 criticisms of the Catholic Church. He nailed it to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church to spark debate.

Significance: Directly challenged the authority of the pope and the Church’s corruption. Spread rapidly, turning Luther into a central figure of reform. It marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, reshaping Christianity and weakening the dominance of the Catholic Church in Europe.

Charles V

Definition: The HRE Emperor and ruler of a vast empire including Spain, the Low Countries, parts of Italy, Austria, and Americas. He was the most powerful monarch of his time.
Significance: Strong defender of Catholicism, summoning Luther to the Diet of Worms. He spent much of his reign fighting wars such as Protestant princes in Germany. He eventually signed the Peace of Augsburg, allowing each German prince to choose Catholicism or Lutheranism for their territory.

Sola Fide

Definition: Latin for “by faith alone.” A central belief emphasized by Luther. It taught that salvation is achieved through faith in Christ alone, not by good works, indulgences, or church rituals.

Significance: Challenged Catholic teaching of faith, good works, and sacraments to achieve salvation. It undermined the authority of the Catholic Church, since people no longer needed priests or the sacramental system.

Sola Scriptura

Definition: Latin for “Scripture alone.” It teaches that the Bible is the sole authority for Christian faith and practice, rather than Church traditions, councils, or the pope.

Significance: Challenged the Church’s authority, which relied on Scripture and tradition. It encouraged people to read and interpret the Bible, increasing literacy and personal engagement with faith. It provided the foundation for most reforms, emphasizing a direct relationship with God.

Ulrich Zwingli

Definition: A reformer who believed that the Bible alone was the source of religious truth and rejected practices he saw as unbiblical, such as indulgences, the Mass, monasticism, and clerical celibacy.

Significance: Led the Zurich reformations, gaining support of city authorities. He established the idea that secular governments could guide church reform.

Debates over Eucharist

Definition: Disagreements among early Protestants on Communion, whether the wind and bread were actually the blood and body of Christ or were symbolic.

Significance: Caused division among Protestants, even after the Colloquy of Marburg which attempted to resolve differences but failed, preventing full unity.

Appeal of Protestant Ideas

Definiton: Protestant ideas attracted people because they emphasized personal faith, direct access to Scripture, and simpler worship, and challenged Church wealth and privileges, spreading quickly through the printing press and gaining support from secular rulers.

Significance: Spread Protestantism quickly, encouraged clergy and lay people to leave the church, and set the foundation for lasting religious, political, and cultural change.

Luther’s German Bible

Definition: His translation of the New Testament into German made it accessible to ordinary people and helped standardize the German language.

Significance: Allowed laypeople to interpret the Scripture themselves, supporting ideas of personal faith. It strengthened Luther’s influence and helped Protestantism spread rapidly and standardized German written language, shaping culture and literacy.

Anabaptists

Definition: Radical Protestant reformers who practiced adult baptism instead of infant baptism, believing that baptism should be a choice (babies can’t make choices). Often formed voluntary, separate communities.
Significance: Rejected state-controlled churches, which led to persecution by both Catholics and Protestants. Emphasized religious toleration, simplicity, and individual conscience, influencing later ideas about church-state separation. Some advocated social reforms and communal living, appealing to groups like peasants.

German Peasants’ War

Definition: A revolt of German peasants against nobles, sparked by economic hardship, crop failures, and exploitation, citing Scripture and radical reformers for justification.

Significance: Luther opposed the revolt, reinforcing the idea that secular rulers were chosen by God. It led to a decline in popular support for the Reformation among peasants, though some social ideas persisted. Resulted in moderate economic improvements, like the return of common lands.

Protestant Ideas about Marriage

Divorce

War in Switzerland

Augsburg Confession

Peace of Augsburg

Reformation in Scandinavia

Henry VIII

Act of Supremacy

Thomas Cromwell

Catholicism in Ireland

Book of Common Prayer

Elizabeth I

Spanish Armada

Act of Uniformity

Pirates

John Calvin

Predestination

Geneva

Impact of Calvinism on Presbyterians

Huguenots & Puritans

Protestant Work Ethic

John Knox

Reformation in Poland

Breakup of Hungary

Simony

Holy Office

Index of Prohibited Books

Council of Trent

Teresa of Avila

Ursuline Order

Jesuits

Treaty of Cateau-Cambresis

Huguenots

Catherine de Medici

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

Politique

Henry IV (of Navarre)

Edict of Nantes

Phillip II

Pacification of Ghent

Union of Utrecht

United Provinces

Witch hunts

Legal changes

Patriarchy in Families

Economic effects of the Little Ice Age

Bread Riots

Moral Economy

Thirty Years War

Defenestration of Prague

Gustavus Adolphus

Cardinal Richelieu

Peace of Westphalia

Fiscal-Military State

Military Revolution

Baroque

Bernini

Caravaggio

Peter Paul Rubeuns

Bach