How Did The Reformation Influence Religious Toleration

A verbis ad verbera. Translated from Latin, this means “from words to blows.” Words that spoke out against indulgences eventually turned to blows to change religious toleration. As Martin Luther sparked controversy with his Ninety-five Theses, things took a different turn as he unknowingly sparked the Protestant Revolution. Previous to Luther, people that thought like him were viewed as heretics and often killed. From the Reformation to the French Revolution, views on religious tolerance improved. As a political practice, religious toleration was allowed to cultivate due three main factors: people with power that supported the Reformation, social change, and views on natural rights.
In the beginning, it was vital that people with power supported
A few years after Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, Johann Guttenberg improved the printing press, effectively spreading Luther’s ideas. This invention led the way to a new age. At this point in history, there was no longer one dominant belief in Europe, making it easier for Protestant ideas to be voiced. Alongside this, cities grew, roads improved, and more and more people traveled away from home. Trade increased, and along with it, people grew to be more open to different ideas. However, this was less likely to happen in countries far from the Reformation’s core, such as Spain or Russia. Over time, society’s views became more accepting, but it also meant that some kings had a hard time influencing their countrymen. This was partly because they no longer could tell their subjects what religion they should follow. Earlier on in the Holy Roman Empire, religion was decided by the princes, by the principle of cuius regio, eius religio. Eventually, religious tolerance was something people could choose for
In the medieval ages, rights were derived from the king. The rights of royal subjects were determined without them and that was not to be questioned. For writers like John Locke and Immanuel Kant, natural rights became something to think about. Of these natural rights, religious freedom was one of the most essential to people. In Luther’s time, it was punishable by excommunication to write against the Catholic Church. A hundred years later, with many different interpretations of the Bible, excommunication was not feared anymore. Natural rights also extended to places of political influence. Eventually, numerous kings had to share their power with parliaments and councils, a political practice that began with disputing religious