Ch 15 Strayer Nave 2e Lecture
Robert W. Strayer
Ways of the World: A Brief Global
History with Sources
Second Edition
Chapter 15
Cultural Transformations: Religion and Science,
1450–1750
Copyright © 2013 by Bedford/St. Martin’s
The Globalization of Christianity
A. Western Christendom Fragmented: The Protestant Reformation
1. Martin Luther: German priest who combined widespread criticism of Roman
Catholic hierarchy and corruption with a theological message that faith—not works, acts, or rituals—was the path to salvation. Most Protestant movements offered little agency for women and in some cases even limited women’s participation in the church. 2. The power of the written word: Luther and others emphasized common people reading the Scriptures in their own language, not priests interpreting the Latin texts for the masses. Combined with the new technology of the printing press, Luther’s message spread throughout Europe in the form of pamphlets.
3. Wars of Religion: Intense popular religious disputes led to cases of popular unrest and mob violence in France and Germany. Many political actors (kings & other nobility) found common cause with Luther’s theological revolt against
Rome. As religious, political, and economic tensions became intertwined, peasant revolts broke out in the German lands in the 1520s, Catholic-Huguenot violence tore France apart from 1562 to 1598, and finally the Thirty Years’ War
(1618–1648) pitted the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire against Protestant kings and princes throughout Europe who sought independence from Rome and the Emperor. While the Peace of Westphalia brought an end to the fighting and established the modern state system in
Europe, it recognized the end of Catholic religious unity in the continent.
4. Counter-Reformation: Faced with widespread revolt, the Roman Catholic
Church called the Council of Trent (1545–1563) to reaffirm its authority over doctrine and ritual. While there was an effort to end corrupt and abusive practices, the
Ways of the World: A Brief Global
History with Sources
Second Edition
Chapter 15
Cultural Transformations: Religion and Science,
1450–1750
Copyright © 2013 by Bedford/St. Martin’s
The Globalization of Christianity
A. Western Christendom Fragmented: The Protestant Reformation
1. Martin Luther: German priest who combined widespread criticism of Roman
Catholic hierarchy and corruption with a theological message that faith—not works, acts, or rituals—was the path to salvation. Most Protestant movements offered little agency for women and in some cases even limited women’s participation in the church. 2. The power of the written word: Luther and others emphasized common people reading the Scriptures in their own language, not priests interpreting the Latin texts for the masses. Combined with the new technology of the printing press, Luther’s message spread throughout Europe in the form of pamphlets.
3. Wars of Religion: Intense popular religious disputes led to cases of popular unrest and mob violence in France and Germany. Many political actors (kings & other nobility) found common cause with Luther’s theological revolt against
Rome. As religious, political, and economic tensions became intertwined, peasant revolts broke out in the German lands in the 1520s, Catholic-Huguenot violence tore France apart from 1562 to 1598, and finally the Thirty Years’ War
(1618–1648) pitted the Roman Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Empire against Protestant kings and princes throughout Europe who sought independence from Rome and the Emperor. While the Peace of Westphalia brought an end to the fighting and established the modern state system in
Europe, it recognized the end of Catholic religious unity in the continent.
4. Counter-Reformation: Faced with widespread revolt, the Roman Catholic
Church called the Council of Trent (1545–1563) to reaffirm its authority over doctrine and ritual. While there was an effort to end corrupt and abusive practices, the