The Protestants Reformation

The Selling of Indulgences

1200

The Catholic Church sold indulgences (forgiveness for someone’s sins). The Pope believed that some parts of the Bible gave the Catholic Church permission to sell indulgences.

The Black Death

1347

The Bubonic Plague killed 1/3 of Europe’s population. The Catholic Church and its priests told people to pray and stop sinning to prevent the disease, but that didn’t work. Some people lost faith in the Catholic Church as the way to make God happy.

Absuses of Indulgences

1500

Some people thought that they could pay others to execute their indulgences for them.
Some priests and bishops gave excessive indulgences.
Some religious brothers and sisters lied about have authority by the Pope to forgive all sins.

St Peter's Basillica

1506

Pope Leo X granted an indulgence for contributions towards the building of the new St Peter's Basilica at Rome. The sale of indulgences to build the new St Peter's Basilica in Rome gave Martin Luther the opportunity to attack indulgences in general, and this attack was the immediate cause of the Reformation in Germany.

Martin Luther was sent to the University of Wittenberg

1511

Martin studied theology and lectured on the Bible. This led him to reflect deeply on the words of Scripture. He struggled at this time with questions of sinfulness and salvation.

The 95 Theses

1517

Luther circulated his 95 Theses, which were posted on the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. The document contained an attack on papal abuses and the sale of indulgences by church officials.

Pope Leo's Statement against the 95 Theses

1518

When Luther refused to take back his attack, Pope Leo X issued a statement outlining the Church's doctrine on indulgences, and condemning Luther's ideas.

Luther's Response

1519

Luther wrote to Pope Leo X, stating that it was not his intention to question the authority of the Pope or the Church. The impact of the Luther-Rome dispute began to grow.

Spreading through Switzerland

1519

Zwingli, who had been a powerful priest in the Catholic Church and had joined Luther's reform program in 1519, brought Protestantism to Zurich from where it spread through Switzerland.

Luther getting more support

1520

By t)iis time Luther had the support of many of the German nobility. Pope Leo X gave him 60 days to recant or face excommunication. As his books were being burned in cities throughout Germany, Luther published an open letter to Pope Leo X, apologising to the Pope personally, but continuing to denounce what he saw as false doctrine and corruption in the Church.

The Arrest and Escape of Martin Luther

1521

Luther was excommunicated, and summoned to the city of Worms to appear before a hearing at which he still refused to take back his attack on the Church. On his way back to Wittenberg; he was captured by supporters disguised as bandits and taken to safety in Wartburg castle.

The Spread of the Lutheran church

1522

The next two years saw Luther preaching throughout central Germany.

The Banishment of Luther

1524

Luther was banished by the church and the Emperor but by this time he had great popular support. By now, certain groups without Luther's agreement, were using his ideas as a reason for revolution. Luther left his religious order and married, continuing his writing and denouncing the groups that were using his ideas as an excuse for criminal acts.

The Augsburg Confession

1530

Many German princes and cities signed a document called the Augsburg Confession as an expression of the new Protestant faith.

The Rise of Anglicans

1534

In England, King Henry VIII also split from Rome. He appointed a secret Protestant, Thomas Cranmer, as Archbishop of Canterbury, and made himself head of the Church in England. Henry VIII was highly critical of Martin Luther but his son, Edward VI, introduced Protestant doctrines and Protestant forms of worship. Anglicanism is thus a blend of Protestant and Catholic practices and beliefs. Today, many Anglicans do not think of themselves as Protestants.

The Wave in France

1536

John Calvin, in Geneva, drew on Luther and Zwingli and preached a stern and demanding God, emphasising the doctrine of predestination. He was the leading French Protestant Reformer and the most important figure in the next wave of the Protestant Reformation.

Spreading through Scotland

1546

John Knox brought Calvin's Reformed Church to Scotland, where it became the Presbyterian Church.

The Death of Luther

1546

Luther died aged 62.

Widespread of the Luther Church

1555

Each German prince was given the right to choose the religion of his own territory. As a result, the Reformation swept through Northern and Eastern Europe.