Religion Flashcards

Question

Background to Philip's relationship with the Church

Answer 1

Philip’s relationship with the Church 1559- Carranza case 1566- Pope Pius V granted Philip extra money through ‘Excusado’ 1571- Philip granted ‘Three Graces’ (The cruzada, subsidio and the excusado) to fund crusade against the Turks 1572- All loyal decrees restricting clerical appeals were confirmed 1598- Philip had become the master of the Catholic Church Lynch: “State’s control over the Church was more complete in Spain than in any other parts of Europe”

Answer 2

The Tridentine Decrees focused on reforming the structures and practices of the Catholic Church in Spain. Philip was the only European to accept these decrees (1564) He accepts them providing they do not affect his rule over the church Increased quality of clergy- seminaries (education of priests, closer management of priests by Bishops, and separating them from the laity to increase their authority. This was important because.... the Spanish Church historically had a low standard among the clergy with poor education, lack of conformity and many parishes not well served due to Absenteeism. If greater conformity and spirituality were to be achieved from the laity, an able and committed priesthood was essential. New bibles and prayer books were introduced. By 1571 the Papal Nuncio reports that all dioceses and orders had accepted the new liturgy, missal and breviary. This played an important role in encouraging religious conformity. However, in many places adoption of the new rules was very slow and overall adoption of the decrees was patchy and highly dependent on the commitment of local Bishops. Furthermore, the Tridentine Decrees mainly focused on conformity of behaviour within the structures of the Church. They do not target heresy, nor did they address popular culture or the commitment of the laity.

Answer 3

Inquisition: The Inquisition played a vital role in religious reform by targeting heresy, which was seen by Philip as a major threat. By targeting Moriscos and Conversos, and also rooting out Protestant cells such as those found in Valladolid in 1557... it not only eliminated heresy but inhibited others from adopting heretical doctrine. The Inquisition was also important in scrutinising lay religious commitment and challenging elements of popular culture which undermined Philip’s intended reforms. For example.... This was important because it ensured reform of religious practice and belief touched all areas of life. However, as there was little heresy to begin with it could be argued that the Inquisition was less necessary than the Tridentine Decrees. Its attacks on popular culture were patchy and unpopular, and the extensive Inquisition records show how challenging it was to actually change people's day to day practices. Inquisition also had an important role in the censorship of heretical works The Inquisitor-General Valdes composed Spain’s own Index (List of censored writings) in 1559 670 prohibited works, including 14 editions of the bible and 16 works by Erasmus In 1583-84, the Index was revised and enlarged by gaspar de Quiroga. Of the 33,000 prohibited or expurgated titles, most were by foreigners Debate over the impact of the Inquisition, with some arguing it was simply an instrument to eradicate heresy and enforce a uniform faith, and others arguing it main purpose was to strengthen the political arm of the state.

Answer 4

Conclusion: Overall, the Tridentine Decrees were more important than the Inquisition in reforming the Spanish Church because the issues it was tackling were more fundamental/important to religious conformity and commitment. While the Inquisition informed the population of what was unacceptable it did not give them any positive alternative, whereas the Tridentine Decrees provided structures and practices that people could follow to ensure they conformed properly. It also more effectively addressed the more serious issues facing the Spanish Church, for example the poor quality of clergy was arguably the root cause of poor commitment from the laity. Despite its slow adoption, the Tridentine Decrees did have a substantial impact on the Church in Spain.

Answer 5

Who were they? Founded in 1540 by Ignatius Loyola Loyola and his followers received direct papal sponsorship as the Society of Jesus ( a.k.a. Jesuits) They saw themselves as Christian soldiers who were heavily populated with Spaniards up to the 1570s What did they do? They tried to save souls through preaching and pastoral missions Loyola introduced a 30 day programme for prayer, fasting and reflection called Spiritual exercises They operated extensive missions in the New World and Asia as well as Europe 1556 = 1000 Jesuits 1565 = 3,500 Jesuits 1626 = 15,500 Jesuits

Answer 6

Philip’s attitudes and policies towards them? Initially he was receptive to their influence as they helped Philip spread Catholicism to remote and rural provinces After leadership of the Jesuits passed to the Italians in 1573, Philip was much more suspicious and hostile towards the order and was concerned they were papal agents, hence deteriorating relations between Philip and the Papacy They now answered to an alternative religious and political authority with the Pope In 1586, the Inquisition denounced a Jesuit priest, Marceu, for not reporting another priest for making improper advances to women. Philip conflicted with the newly appointed Pope Sixtus over this matter and he subsequently refused Philip’s request for a non-Jesuit visit to Spain and seemed to prove to Philip that the Jesuits were agents of a hostile Pope , who wanted to undermine his authority In 1593, the Italian General of jesuits expelled all Spanish Jesuits from the order, further angering Philip

Answer 7

Paragraph 1- Improvement of spirituality and religiosity of Clergy Paragraph 2- Religious Uniformity (Doctrine and Religious practice) Paragraph 3- Eradication of Heresy

Answer 8

Introduction: “In effect, the Church was a department ruled by the state, ruled by the King and administered by his councils and his secretarists” (Woodward) Stating Philip is an Erastian monarch (Head of Country and Church) Spanish Catholic church, not papal The state of religious affairs in Spain at the outset of Philip’s reign was one of incoordination, lack of efficiency and ruled mainly by Philip himself, it was a poor representation of pure Catholicism. “The Council of Trent revolutionised Spanish Catholicism” (Kamen) In contrast Woodward argues that the condition of the Spanish Church was largely unchanged by the end of the century These contradicting statements express the complexity of the situation by 1598 as there could be said to be improvement in administration through the Tridentine Decrees as well as the eradication of Heresy through the Inquisition, yet these policies’ effectiveness is open to debate. In 1556: - Whilst there was a general agreement on doctrine, a lack of education meant teachings varied - Within Priests, Absenteeism and Pluralism a problem - Relative lack of heresy - Still lots of Coversos and Moriscos in Spain Philip's aims: - Obtain a Clergy that was committed and well qualified - Uniform understanding of the teachings and beliefs of the Church amongst all Clergy and Laity - Elimination from Spain

Answer 9

Bookends Priests absenteeism and pluralism a problem (In Barcelona, 6 out of 67 Parish priests are residents of their parish) Cardenal Mendoza of Burgos only takes up residence 14 years after receiving the post Yes: Philip addressed the issue of Priests religiosity by creating a new generation of energetic bishops and raised standards of discipline and piety within the order. Especially effective in places such as Valencia and Toledo due to these being central Catholic cities in Spain The publication of the Tridentine Decrees in 1565 took a while to improve the education of the clergy but in time the education, behaviour and dress of the clergy was up to Tridentine standards through the introduction of new seminaries. Bishops were told to preach regularly Priests were required to preach every Sunday- As a result they became more dedicated to their parishes Banning of May festivals and St. John's bonfires to improve the religiosity of the Laity Philip improved spirituality by banning the use of Churches for recreational uses such as theatres and games. The walls inside were whitewashed as to improve their uniformity and pictures were censored. But: However, it could be argued that this religious reform was not a full revolution of Spanish Catholicism due to many reforms not being fully enforced, Literacy rates stooped as low as 20% amongst Clergy in rural areas. Sunday preaching was sporadic and regularly reports were made of preaching not being carried through in places such as Mallorca where resistance was high. In 1573, many letters were sent from Granada to Philip explaining that people are unwilling to change their traditional practices and in 1578 many clergymen refused to wear the new vestments. So: Tridentine Decrees which set universal standards for the church of Spain, yet resistance to the reforms imposed meant his aims were not fully achieved during his reign and took a while to become regular practice.

Answer 10

Bookends Huge inequality in wages of Priests (Archbishop of Toledo receives 200,000 ducats annually) compared to the annual wage of priests which sat at 30 ducats per year due to corruption in higher levels of authority Dioceses were ineffectively run with Bishops like Alava who controlled over 400 parishes with overlapping jurisdiction which made for inefficiency as everyone claimed control of multiple parishes. Yes: Tridentine Decrees of 1565 aimed to renew the corrupt administration in the running of the church. Being the only European King to accept these Decrees it emphasises the desperate need for them. Passed by the Council of Trent, these Decrees aimed to improve the services and uniformity of Catholicism and according to Kaman they “revolutionised Spanish Catholicism”. Philip accepts these Decrees after writing to his lawyers in 1564, instructing them to ensure the Decrees do not infringe on his political authority before their publication. These Decrees were taking into effect by some Clergymen such as the Archbishop of Gaspar de Quiroga who set out codes of conduct enforcing Tridentine standards upon Parish Clergy. Philip defined what was meant by religious uniformity by establishing 1 Bible called ‘Latin Vulgate’ The new Bible was confirmed to be accepted by all dioceses in a Papal Nuncio is 1571 which reported 11 dioceses had accepted the new liturgy, yet this could be argued as fake news due to not all dioceses even agreeing on changing the bible in the first place Philip did encourage efficiency by dissolving any monasteries that were inefficient as well as closing down 300 monastic houses which had foreign links. This was an attempt to define Catholicism in Spain to purely Spanish Catholicism which illustrates his micromanaging personality. Philip also created new bishoprics in Spain as well as in the Netherlands where 13 new bishoprics were established in the 1560’s funded by the reallocation of revenues from the existing 4 But: New Decrees and reforms were generally unpopular as in 1586 in Mondonedo all old prayer books had to be rounded up and burnt to prevent their usage. Resistance to new reforms prevalent throughout his monarquia Greatest example of resistance in the Iconoclastic Fury of 1568 which led to the detachment of the provinces of Netherlands from the Spanish empire. Passive resistance closer to home for Philip when in 1588 it was found that less than one third of the Clergy were using the new liturgy in Mallorca So: The organisation of the church did improve in Spain but it was often met with resistance as many did not want to change and so once again his aims were only partly met due to a lack of enforced change.

Answer 11

Paragraph 3- Eradication of Heresy Bookends: Generally not really a problem he inherited 1557- Protestant Panic created by the Inquisition- Large controversy over cause- re-energised the Inquisition in the 1550’s yet is largely falsified as it claimed the country to be overrun with Protestants when in reality they were actually very few. Moriscos seen as “the enemy within”- Due to ongoing war with Ottoman Turks Actions of Conversos caused the setting up of the Inquisition (1480) Yes: Spanish Inquisition was set up in 1480 by his Grandparents Isabella and Ferdinand Inquisition caused many Conversos to leave Spain out of fear of the spreading rumours of the Barbaric methods of torture used which were again largely falsified but to Philip’s advantage. An estimated 100,000 cases were dealt with from the period of 1540 to 1700 and of this there was an average of 5 executions per year and only 2% of 7,000 cases in Valencia actually received torturous methods. Success as it spread fear but did not lead to any revolts directly The Inquisition also enforced the Spanish Index which eradicated heretical works The Inquisitor-General Valdes composed Spain’s own Index (List of censored writings) in 1559 670 prohibited works, including 14 editions of the bible and 16 works by Erasmus In 1583-84, the Index was revised and enlarged by gaspar de Quiroga. Of the 33,000 prohibited or expurgated titles, most were by foreigners But: However the Inquisition was slightly ineffective as it had few inquisitors for the vast land that it spanned over. There was around 60 inquisitors across the whole of Spain and what's more is that 4 out of 5 people living in the Spain at the time lived in the countryside which made it impossibly difficult to locate all the parishes and heretical groups. So: Overall the Inquisition did its job in achieving Philips religious policy aims of eradicating heresy by limiting it to such small numbers that the minorities of heretical groups had no impacts on Spanish Catholicism.

Answer 12

Conclusion: Philip did achieve his religious policy aims although not to a full revolutionised extent The Council of Trent and the Tridentine Decrees heightened standards of Spanish Catholicism throughout spain by increasing the religiosity of the clergy and the laity as well boosting the organisation and administration of the Catholic Church. Over time the new changes became integral in Spanish society In terms of the threat of heresy in Spain, this was dealt with effectively by the Inquisition led by Fernando de Valdes and saw very little threat of a religious uprising in Spain