Chapter 13 Section 3 Flashcards
Indulgence
In the Roman Catholic Church, pardon for sins committed during a person’s lifetime.
Protestant Reformation
In the 1500s, the Renaissance in northern Europe sparked a religious upheaval that affected Christians at all levels of society. Northern European calls for church reform eventually unleashed forces that would shatter Christian unity.
Martin Luther
A German monk and professor of theology who triggered a revolt in 1517. He also drew up the 95 Theses, or arguments, against indulgences. The Church called him to recant, or give up his views. When he refused, Pope Leo X excommunicated him in 1521.
95 Theses
These arguments were drawn up by Martin Luther. He argued that indulgences had no basis in the Bible, that the pope had no authority to release souls from purgatory, and that Christians could be saved only through faith.
Wittenberg
A city in northern Germany, where Luther drew up his 95 Theses.
Charles
The new Holy Roman emperor who summoned Martin Luther to the diet at the city of Worms. When Luther refused to recant, he declared him an outlaw, making it a crime for anyone in the empire to give him food for shelter. However, Luther still had many powerful supporters.
Diet
An assembly of German princes. Comes from the Middle English word meaning “a day for a meeting.”
John Calvin
He was born in France and trained as a priest and lawyer. He shared many of Luther’s beliefs. He preached predestination, the idea that God had long ago determined who would gain salvation. He believed that the world was divided into two kind of people - saints and sinners.
Predestination
Calvinist beliefs that God long ago determined who would gain salvation.
Geneva
Swiss city-state which became a Calvinist theocracy in the 1500s; today a major city in Switzerland. In 1541, Protestants in this city-state asked Calvin to lead their community.
Theocracy
Government run by religious leaders.
Papal States
Territories run by the pope.
John Wycliffe
An Oxford professor who attacked corruption in Church. In the 1300s, he launched a systematic attack against the Church, using sermons and writings to call for change. After his death, his followers met in secret to keep alive the movement he started.
Ulrich Zwingli
A priest and an admirer of Erasmus. He lived in the Swiss city of Zurich and like Luther, he stressed the importance of the Bible and rejected elaborate church rituals.
The Peace of Augsburg
During the 1530s and the 1540s, Charles V tried to force Lutheran princes back into the Catholic Church which lead to a number of brief wars. Finally, Charles and the princes reached a settlement and signed it in 1555, allowing each prince to decide which religion - Catholic or Lutheran - would be followed in his lands.
