week 2--7th grade packet

The Reformation BeginsWhat factors led to the weakening of the Catholic Church andthe beginning of the Reformation?

Introduction

At the height of the Renaissance, western Europe was still RomanCatholic, but this changed with the beginning of the Reformation. Thismovement led to the start of many new Christian churches that brokeaway from the Catholic Church.

The Reformation began in the early 1500s and lasted into the 1600s.Until then, all Christians in western Europe were Catholics. However,even before the Reformation, the Church's religious and moral authoritywas starting to weaken. One reason for the weakening of the Churchwas the humanism of the Renaissance. Humanists often were secular,or nonreligious, in their thinking, and they believed in free thought andquestioned many accepted beliefs.

Problems within the Church added to this spirit of questioning. ManyCatholics were dismayed by worldliness and corruption (immoral anddishonest behavior) in the Church. Sometimes, bishops and clergy usedquestionable practices to raise money. Some popes seemed moreconcerned with power and wealth than with spiritual matters.

These problems led a number of Catholics to call for reform. Theyquestioned the authority of Church leaders and some of the Church'steachings. Those who broke away from the Church entirely becameknown as “Protestants” because of their protests against the CatholicChurch. The establishment of Protestant churches divided Christiansinto many separate groups.

In this lesson, you will learn about the factors that weakened theRoman Catholic Church and how a German priest, Martin Luther, igniteda movement that ended the religious unity of Europe. You will also learnabout other early reformers and leaders of the Reformation.

T H E R E F O R M A T I O N B E G I...

2019 Teachers' Curriculum Institute Level: A

7th Grade Student Name: _____________________________

World History

Social StudiesVocabulary

denomination

indulgence

Martin Luther

Protestant

Reformation

simony

1. The Weakening of the Catholic Church


Level: A 2019 Teachers' Curriculum Institute

1. The Weakening of the Catholic Church

By the Late Middle Ages, two major problems were weakening theRoman Catholic Church. The first was worldliness and corruption withinthe Church, and the second was political conflict between the pope andEuropean monarchs.

Worldliness and Corruption Within the Church During the MiddleAges, the Catholic Church united the Christians of western Europe in asingle faith. However, the Church was a political and economicinstitution as well as a religious one. By the 1300s, many Catholics feltthat the Church had become too worldly and corrupt.

Too frequently, Church officials failed to live up to their role as spiritualleaders. For example, priests, monks, and nuns made vows, or solemnpromises, not to marry or have children, but many broke these vows.Others seemed to ignore Christian values, and Church leaders oftenbehaved like royalty instead of God's servants. For example, the popes,and many cardinals and bishops, were extremely wealthy and powerful.

People were also troubled by the way numerous Church officials raisedmoney to support the church. One method was the practice of sellingindulgences. An indulgence is a release from punishment for sins.

During the Middle Ages, the Church granted indulgences in exchangefor gifts to the Church and good works. People who receivedindulgences were not required to perform good deeds to make up fortheir sins. Over time, popes and bishops started selling indulgences asa way of raising money. This practice made it seem that people couldbuy forgiveness for their sins, an abuse that deeply disturbed manyCatholics.

The Church also sold offices, or leadership positions, a practice calledsimony. Instead of being chosen based on their merit andaccomplishments, buyers simply paid for their jobs. Buying an officewas worthwhile because it could be a source of income. Often, peopleacquired multiple offices in different locations without actually goingthere to perform their duties.

People questioned other practices as well. Some clergy chargedpilgrims to see holy objects, such as the relics of saints.

In addition, all Catholics paid taxes to the Church. Many peopleresented having to pay taxes to Rome in addition to their owngovernments.



Political Conflicts with European Rulers In the Middle Ages, thepope became a powerful political figure, as well as a religious leader,and the Church accumulated vast amounts of wealth. Its political andeconomic power presented a problem for monarchs because the Churchclaimed that its clergy were independent of political rulers' control.

As monarchs attempted to increase their own power, they frequentlycame into conflict with the pope. They quarreled with the pope overChurch property and the right to make appointments to Church offices.In addition, popes became involved in other political conflicts, whichprompted many to question the pope's authority and also damaged theChurch's reputation.

One dramatic crisis unfolded in France in 1301. When King Philip IV triedto tax the French clergy, the pope threatened to force him out of theChurch. In response, soldiers hired by the king kidnapped the pope. Thepope was soon released, but he died a few weeks later.

The quarrel with the king ended under Pope Clement V. In 1309,Clement moved his headquarters from Rome to the French city ofAvignon. During his reign, he appointed 24 new cardinals, 22 of whomwere French. The next six popes also lived in Avignon and named moreFrench cardinals. Many Europeans believed that France's kings nowcontrolled the papacy, or the office of the pope, causing them to loserespect for the pope as the Church's supreme leader.

An even worse crisis developed after Pope Gregory XI returned thepapacy to Rome in 1377. When Gregory died in 1378, an Italian waselected pope and refused to move back to Avignon. A group ofcardinals, most of them French, left Rome and elected a rival pope,leading the Church to have one pope in Rome and one in Avignon.Later, a Church council elected a third pope. Each pope claimed to bethe real head of the Church.

This division in the Church is called the Western Schism. For nearly 40years, the various lines of popes denounced each other as impostors,which divided and confused Catholics. The Western Schism lessenedpeople's respect for the papacy and sparked calls for reform.



2. Early Calls for Reform

By the 1300s, the Church was beginning to lose some of its moral andreligious standing. Many Catholics, including clergy, criticized thecorruption and abuses in the Church. They challenged the authority ofthe pope, questioned Church teachings, and started to develop newforms of Christian faith.

Reformers wanted to purify the Church, not destroy it. By challengingthe Church's practices and teachings, however, they helped pave theway for the dramatic changes of the Reformation.

John Wycliffe (About 1330–1384) John Wycliffe (WIH-cliff) was anEnglish scholar who challenged the Church's right to money that itdemanded from England. When the Western Schism began, he publiclyquestioned the pope's authority and criticized indulgences and immoralbehavior on the part of the clergy.

During the Middle Ages, Church officials attempted to control how theBible was interpreted. Wycliffe believed that the Bible, not the Church,



was the supreme source of religious authority. Against Church tradition,he had the Bible translated from Latin into English so that commonpeople could read it.

The pope accused Wycliffe of heresy, or opinions that contradict officialdoctrine. Wycliffe's followers were persecuted, and some of them wereburned to death as heretics, or people who behave against officialteachings. After his death, the Church had Wycliffe's writings burned,too. Despite the Church's opposition, however, Wycliffe's ideas hadwide influence.

Jan Hus (About 1370–1415) Jan Hus (huhs) was a priest in Bohemia,which today is in the Czech Republic. He read Wycliffe's writings andagreed with many of his ideas. Hus criticized the Church's vast wealthand spoke out against the pope's authority. The true head of theChurch, he said, was Jesus Christ.

Hus sought to purify the Church, return it to the people, and endcorruption among the clergy. He wanted both the Bible and mass to beoffered in the common language of the people instead of in Latin. Huswas arrested and charged with heresy in 1414 and was burned at thestake in July 1415.

Like Wycliffe, Hus had a major influence on future reformers. MartinLuther would later say that he and his supporters were “all Hussiteswithout knowing it.”

Catherine of Siena (1347–1380) Catherine of Siena was a mystic—a person deeply devoted to religion and who has spiritual experiences.Born in the Italian city of Siena, she began having visions of Jesus whenshe was a child.

Catherine spent many long hours in prayer and wrote numerous lettersabout spiritual life. In addition, she involved herself in Church affairs.Her pleas helped to convince Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy toRome from Avignon. Later, she traveled to Rome to attempt to end theWestern Schism.

In 1461, the Church declared Catherine a saint. Her example showedthat people could lead spiritual lives that went beyond the usualcustoms of the Church. She and other mystics emphasized personalexperience of God more than formal observance of Church practices.This approach to faith helped prepare people for the ideas of theReformation.

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) Desiderius Erasmus was a



humanist from Holland. A priest and devoted Catholic, he was one ofthe most outspoken figures in the call for reform.

In 1509, Erasmus published a book called The Praise of Folly. (Follymeans “foolishness.”) The book was a sharply worded satire of society,including abuses by clergy and Church leaders, that argued for a returnto simple Christian goodness.

Erasmus wanted to reform the Church from within and angrily deniedthat he was a Protestant who wanted to break away from the CatholicChurch. However, perhaps more than any other individual, he helped toprepare Europe for the Reformation. His attacks on corruption in theChurch contributed to many people's desire to leave Catholicism. Forthis reason, it has frequently been said that “Erasmus laid the egg, andLuther hatched it.”



3. Martin Luther Breaks Away from the Church

In the early 1500s in Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire, apriest named Martin Luther became involved in a serious dispute withChurch authorities. Condemned by the Catholic Church, Lutherestablished the first Protestant church, which started the Reformation.

Luther's Early Life Luther was born in Germany in 1483 and wasraised as a devout Catholic. Luther's father wanted him to become alawyer. As a young man, however, Luther was badly frightened when hewas caught in a violent thunderstorm. As lightning flashed around him,he vowed that if he survived he would become a monk.

Luther kept his promise, joined an order of monks, and later became apriest. He studied the Bible thoroughly and developed a reputation as ascholar and teacher.

Luther Pushes for Change in the Catholic Church The Churchstressed that keeping the sacraments and living a good life were thekeys to salvation. Luther's studies of the Bible led him to a different



answer. He believed that it was impossible to earn salvation because itwas a gift from God that people received in faith. People, he said, weresaved by their faith, not by performing good works.

Luther's views brought him into conflict with the Church overindulgences. In 1517, Pope Leo X needed money to finish building St.Peter's Basilica, the grand cathedral in Rome. He sent preachers aroundEurope to sell indulgences. Buyers were promised pardons of all of theirsins and those of friends and family. Luther was outraged because hefelt that the Church was selling false salvation to uneducated people.

Luther posted a list of arguments, called theses, against indulgencesand Church abuses on a church door in the town of Wittenberg. He alsosent the list, called the Ninety-Five Theses, to Church leaders.

Luther's theses caused considerable controversy. Many people wereexcited by his ideas, despite being condemned by the Church.Gradually, he was drawn into more serious disagreements with Churchauthorities.

In response to critics, Luther published pamphlets that explained histhinking. He argued that the Bible—not the pope or Church leaders—was the ultimate source of religious authority. The only truesacraments, he said, were baptism and the Eucharist. The Church'sother five sacraments had no basis in the Bible. Moreover, Luther saidthat all Christians were priests and, therefore, all should study the Biblefor themselves.

In the eyes of Church leaders, Luther was attacking fundamental truthsof the Catholic religion. In January 1521, Pope Leo X excommunicatedhim, which meant he was no longer allowed membership in the Church.

In April 1521, Luther was brought before the Diet, an assembly of stateleaders, in the German city of Worms. At the risk of his life, he refusedto take back his teachings, prompting the Holy Roman emperor,Charles V, to declare Luther a heretic and forbid the printing or sellingof his writings. For a time Luther went into hiding, but the movement hehad started continued to spread.

Luther Starts His Own Church Many Germans viewed Luther as ahero. As his popularity grew, he continued to develop his ideas. Soonhe was openly organizing a new Christian denomination known asLutheranism, which emphasized studying the Bible. Luther not onlytranslated the Bible into German, but he also wrote a baptism service, amass, and new hymns (sacred songs) in the language.



Having rejected the Church's hierarchy, Luther looked to Germanprinces to support his church. When a peasants' revolt broke out in1524, the rebels expected Luther to support their demands for socialand economic change. Instead, Luther denounced the peasants andsided with the rulers because he needed their help to continue his newchurch's growth. By the time the uprising was crushed, tens ofthousands of peasants had been brutally killed, so many rejectedLutheranism.

Several princes, however, supported Luther, and Lutheranismcontinued to grow. Over the next 30 years, Lutherans and Catholicswere often at war in Germany. These religious wars ended in 1555 withthe Peace of Augsburg, a treaty that permitted each prince within theHoly Roman Empire to determine the religion of his subjects.

The Peace of Augsburg was a major victory for Protestantism. Christianunity was at an end, and not only in Germany. As you will learn next, bythis time a number of other Protestant churches had sprung up innorthern Europe.



4. Other Leaders of the Reformation

The movement started by Martin Luther swept across much of Europe.Many people who were dismayed by abuses in the Church remainedloyal Catholics, whereas others were attracted to new forms of theChristian faith. The printing press helped spread new ideas, as well astranslations of the Bible, faster than ever before. In addition,government leaders had learned from Luther's experience that theycould win religious independence from the Church. The Reformationsucceeded most where rulers embraced Protestant faiths.

Many reformers contributed to the spread of Protestantism. Let's take alook at four leaders of the Reformation.

Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1530) Huldrych Zwingli (HUL-drick ZVING-lee) was a Catholic priest in Zurich, Switzerland who was influenced byboth Erasmus and Luther. After reading Luther's work, he persuadedthe local government to ban any form of worship that was not based onthe Bible. In 1523, Zurich declared its independence from the authorityof the local Catholic bishop.



Zwingli wanted Christians to focus solely on the Bible, and he attackedthe worship of relics, saints, and images. In the Protestant churches hefounded, there were no religious statues or paintings, and services werevery simple, without music or singing.

Zwingli carried his ideas to other Swiss cities. In 1530, war broke outbetween his followers and Swiss Catholics, and Zwingli died during thefighting.

John Calvin (1509–1564) In the late 1530s, John Calvin, a Frenchhumanist, established another Protestant group in Geneva, Switzerland.His book, Institutes of the Christian Religion, became one of the mostinfluential works of the Reformation.

Calvin emphasized that salvation came only from God's grace. He saidthat the “saved” whom God elected, or chose, lived according to strictstandards. He believed firmly in hard work and thrift, or the careful useof money. Success in business, he taught, was a sign of God's grace.Calvin tried to establish a Christian state in Geneva that would be ruledby God through the Calvinist Church.

Calvin influenced many other reformers, including John Knox, aScotsman who lived in Geneva for a time. Knox led the Protestantreform that established the Presbyterian Church in Scotland.

King Henry VIII (1491–1547) England's Protestant Reformation wasled by King Henry VIII. In 1534, Henry formed the Church of England,also called the Anglican Church, and named himself as its supremehead.

Unlike Luther and Calvin, King Henry did not have major disagreementswith Catholic teachings. His reasons for breaking with the Church werepersonal and political. On a personal level, he wanted to end his firstmarriage, but the pope had denied him a divorce. On a political level,he no longer wanted to share power and wealth with the Church. In1536, Henry closed down Catholic monasteries in England and tooktheir riches.

William Tyndale was an English priest, scholar, and writer who traveledto Germany and met Martin Luther. As his views became increasinglyProtestant, he attacked corruption in the Catholic Church and defendedthe English Reformation. After being arrested by Catholic authorities inthe city of Antwerp, in present-day Belgium, he spent over a year inprison and was burned at the stake in 1536.

Tyndale is especially important to the Reformation because of his



translations of the Bible. To spread knowledge of the Bible, hetranslated the New Testament and parts of the Old Testament intoEnglish. In the early 1600s, his work was used in the preparation of theKing James, or Authorized, Version of the Bible. Famed for its beautifullanguage, the King James Bible had an enormous influence on Englishworship, language, and literature.



Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned about the Reformation, which beganin the early 1500s. This movement led to the founding of manynew Christian denominations in Europe.

The Weakening of the Catholic Church By the Late Middle Ages, theCatholic Church was weakened by corruption, political struggles, andhumanist ideas. Many Catholics were dismayed by worldliness andimmorality in the Church, including the sale of indulgences and thepractice of simony.

Early Calls for Reform A number of Catholics began to call for reform,including John Wycliffe, Jan Hus, Catherine of Siena, and Erasmus. Theyquestioned the practices of Church leaders and some of the Church'steachings.

Martin Luther Breaks Away From the Church In the early 1500s,German priest Martin Luther became involved in a major dispute withthe Church over indulgences and other practices. Excommunicated,



Luther established the first Protestant church, which started theReformation.

Other Leaders of the Reformation Other Protestant reformersbegan to separate from the Catholic Church. The printing press helpedto spread their ideas. Zwingli and Calvin began churches in Switzerland.William Tyndale translated the Bible into English. Henry VIII became thesupreme head of the new Church of England.



P R E V I E W

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute The Reformation Begins 1

What factors led to the weakening of the Catholic Church and the beginning of the Reformation?

The Reformation Begins

I N T E R A C T I V E S T U D E N T N O T E B O O K

Your school’s principal has just enacted a policy regarding dress code violations that you believe unfairly targets certain students. You would like to voice your opinion, but are concerned that doing so might label you a troublemaker. Which of the following courses of action should you take?A. Ask for an appointment with the principal and explain your concerns about

the policy face to face.B. Create a pamphlet that outlines your arguments against the new policy and

pass it out to students at lunchtime.C. Stand on the sidewalk outside the school and, as students leave school for the

day, protest loudly against the new policy.D. Ask your parents if you can transfer to another school where you know the

dress code policy is fairer.E. Stay quiet and wait to see if other students are also upset before you start

speaking out against the policy.

Now, in a few sentences, explain why you chose that particular course of action.

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute2 The Reformation Begins

1. Complete the chart below by identifying three similarities between the classroom activity and the Catholic Church’s selling of indulgences.

2. Name three factors, besides selling indulgences, that contributed to the weakening of the Catholic Church.


Section 1

R E A D I N G N O T E S

Social Studies VocabularyAs you complete the Reading Notes, use these terms in your answers.

indulgence Reformation Martin Luthersimony Protestant denomination

Classroom Activity Historical Connection• The school attempted to raise

money by selling points to students.

• Students who performed poorly on the quiz or other assignments were told they could still earn high grades by buying points.

• Students who honored the academic process or couldn’t afford to buy points were troubled by the policy, believing it was wrong or unfair.

•

•

•



Section 2

1. What teachings and actions of John Wycliffe led the pope to accuse him of heresy?

2. What reforms did Jan Hus call for?

3. In what way did Catherine of Siena’s approach to faith help prepare people for the Reformation?

4. Who was Desiderius Erasmus? How did he help to prepare Europe for the Reformation?



1. Why did Martin Luther write the Ninety-Five Theses and post them on the door of a church in Wittenberg?

2. Use this chart to compare and contrast Luther’s beliefs with those of the Catholic Church.

3. What happened when Luther was brought before the Diet of Worms?

Section 3

Martin Luther Catholic Church



1. Name three factors that helped spread Luther’s reforms across Europe.

2. What two Protestant reformers began new churches in Switzerland?

3. What personal and political reasons led King Henry VIII to split with the Catholic Church?

4. Who was William Tyndale? For what important contribution is he most remembered?

Section 4

Personal Reasons Political Reasons

The Reformation



P R O C E S S I N G

In each outline, draw facial features to show how each of these six individuals felt about the need to reform the Catholic Church. Then, under each head, complete the sentence to express what each person would say about the Reformation. An example is provided.

Catholic Church Official

We need reform because

Jan Hus


Desiderius Erasmus

We need reform because we must put an end to Church abuses in order to keep our Church strong.

Martin Luther


John Calvin


King Henry VIII


Name __________________________________________________ Date ______________________________

Copy of Assessment: The Reformation BeginsMastering the ContentSelect the letter next to the best answer.

1. How did Renaissance humanists contribute to the weakening of the Roman Catholic Church? A. They studied ancient texts.B. They wrote poetry and plays.C. They tried to elect a new pope.D. They questioned accepted beliefs.

2. The practice of selling indulgences troubled many Catholics because the practice made it seem likeA. the Church was in economic trouble.B. the government had lost its authority.C. anyone could buy a leadership position.D. people could buy forgiveness for sins.

3. Simony upset many people. How might someone commit simony? A. by breaking vows as a monk by getting marriedB. by paying money to be the priest of a large parishC. by telling people that an ordinary object is a holy relicD. by collecting taxes from poor people to give to the pope

4. Which claim by the Catholic Church was a problem for monarchs? A. Kings should stop fighting wars.B. The queen should pray every day.C. Priests did not have to obey the king.D. Actors should not perform on Sundays.

5. For several years there were two popes—A. one honest and one corrupt.B. one elected and one appointed.C. one in France and one in Rome.D. one Catholic and one Protestant.

6. How did the Western Schism weaken the Catholic Church?A. It reduced respect for the papacy.B. It led to warfare between the sides.C. It cost parishes much of their wealth.D. It caused people to learn how to read.

7. Who might have said the quote below?

I want to purify the Church.

A. a devoted CatholicB. an early Church reformerC. a supporter of simonyD. an excommunicated clergy member

8. What did John Wycliffe and several other reformers believe was the source of religious authority? A. the BibleB. the ChurchC. the individualD. the natural world

9. Jan Hus wanted worship to be in the language of the people. What teaching of the Catholic Church did this oppose? A. The mass should be in Latin.B. All languages are equally good.C. Silent worship is more respectful.D. The monarch can choose the language.

10. Catherine of Siena helped prepare Europe for the Reformation by A. translating the Bible into Italian.B. criticizing the wealth of the Church.C. encouraging monarchs to take control of religious houses and the clergy.D. showing that one can have a personal experience of God.

11. What did the first Protestants protest against? A. the humanist philosophyB. decrees by King Henry VIIIC. the reformation of governmentD. corruption in the Catholic Church

12. How did Martin Luther believe that people could gain salvation? A. by having faithB. by living a good lifeC. by keeping the sacramentsD. by giving money to the Church

13. What famous document did Martin Luther nail to a church door? A. a challenge for a Church official to debate himB. a list of arguments against abuses by the ChurchC. an order for the peasants to go back to their fieldsD. a statement that he was going to start his own church

14. In what way was the Peace of Augsburg important? A. It ended the Western Schism.B. It was a serious setback for Protestantism.C. It ended Christian unity in much of Europe.D. It divided Italy into a number of separate states.

15. How did the printing press contribute to the Reformation?A. It led cities to establish new universities.B. It spread new ideas and translations of the Bible.C. It created jobs for monks who left the monastery.D. It meant that scholars no longer felt a need to travel.

16. Which reformer taught that business success was a sign of God’s grace?A. John CalvinB. John WycliffeC. William TyndaleD. Huldrych Zwingli

Applying Social Studies SkillsUse the timeline and your knowledge of history to complete the sentences.

17. The first English translation of the Bible that gained the approval of the English monarch was most likely the

18. One reason why the Wycliffe Bible was not distributed as widely as the Tyndale New Testament was that

19. A likely explanation for the translation published in 1609 is that

Exploring the Essential Question: What factors led to the weakening of theCatholic Church and the beginning of the Reformation?

20. Martin Luther posted his message to Catholic leaders on a church door, possibly on a page like the one below. On the page, complete the outline by writing a complete sentence beside each of the six bullets. The sentences should support the headings.

week 2--7th grade packet

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