Lecture 3: Early 16th C

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Lecture 3 Early 16th C

• Ann T. Orlando
• 23 January 2006

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Introduction to Next Three Lectures (3,4,5)

• All three will have Martin Luther as the main
  player
• Lecture 3 focus on start of Reformation and
  impact in Germany
• Lecture 4 Martin Luthers Life and political
  impact beyond Germany
• Lecture 5 focus on theology and doctrinal issues
• NB these really are interlocking themes

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Outline Lecture 3

• Historical Review of Early 16th C
• Popes of early 16th C and political situation
• The Beginning of the Reformation
• Political Conflicts precipitated by Luther in
  Germany

4
Historical Review 14th 15th C

• Black death, Hundred Years War
• Avignon Papacy
• Great Schism 2 Popes
• Conciliar Movement 3 Popes
• Development of strong, competing nations
• Fall of Constantinople, 1453

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Recap Situation Early 16th C

• Byzantine Empire destroyed
• Powerful Ottoman Turks in control of Eastern and
  Southern Mediterranean
• Spain newly unified after expulsion of Muslims
• France and England in uneasy truce
• France and HRE in occasional battles over eastern
  France
• Popes in very weakened political situation after
  Avignon papacy reliant on sale of indulgences
  and simony for funds

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Popes of Early 16th Century

• Alexander VI (1492-1503), most notorious Borgia
  Pope
• Julius II (1503-1513), leads armies in battle to
  solidify Papal States, decides to rebuild St.
  Peters Basilica
• Old St Peters built by Constantine in very bad
  condition
• What had been largest church in Christendom now a
  mosque
• Donation of Constantine accepted as a forgery
• Leo X (1513-1521), Now that God has given us the
  Papacy, let us enjoy it.
• Popular joke is ROMA Radix Omnia Malorum
  Avaritia (Avarice the Root of All Evil)
• Note, however, that these same Popes were also
  patrons for some of the most important artists of
  Renaissance and early Baroque
• These same Popes were champions of learning and
  encouraged establishment of major libraries,
  including Vatican library

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Very Strong National Rulers Early 16th C

• Francois I of France
• Charles V HRE (Spain, Germany, Netherlands)
• Henry VIII in England
• Sulyman the Magnificent in Ottoman Empire

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Martin Luther (1483-1546)

• Luther was influenced by humanism studied
  Biblical languages and the early Church Fathers,
  especially Augustine
• Driven by internal and external events
• Internal struggle
• As a young Augustinian monk, Luther struggles to
  appease God for his sins
• Finally realizes that nothing he can do can
  appease God salvation must be Gods free gift
  that one accepts by faith

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The Proximate Cause of the German Reformation

• In 1517, Albert of Mainz wants to be Archbishop
• Albert buys his archbishopric from Rome, with
  money borrowed from Rome (Pope Leo X)
• Rome needs the money in part to help pay for
  rebuilding of St. Peters
• Rome authorizes the preaching of a special
  indulgence in Germany, with the money to go to
  Albrecht, so he can repay his loan back to Leo X
• Indulgence is preached by Johan Tetzel, When the
  coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory
  springs

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Martin Luthers Response

• Luther is deeply offended by this corruption
• Responds to this situation with 95 Theses
• A thesis was an academic hypothesis which was ot
  to debated among scholars
• Luthers theses go far beyond denouncing sin of
  simony and corruption
• fundamentally calls into question Romes primacy,
• theology of indulgences
• denounces scholasticism
• German princes, especially Fredrick the Wise of
  Saxony, support Luther against Rome and against
  Charles V

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Map Central Europe 1500www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/
08/euwc/ht08euwc.htm
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Case Study Indulgences

• The Commission of Indulgences
• Purpose is to reconstruct St. Peters
• Indulgence remits all pain of purgatory for
  living and dead
• Money given depends on social status no prayer
  needed, just give money
• 95 Theses
• Pope cannot remit punishment due to sin only God
  can
• Certainly cannot effect dead who have already
  been judged by God
• 28 It is certain that when the penny jingles
  into the money-box, gain and avarice can be
  increased, but the result of the intercession of
  the Church is in the power of God alone.
• Much better to give money to poor and engage in
  works of mercy than to buy pardons
• 50 Christians are to be taught that if the pope
  knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he
  would rather that St. Peter's church should go to
  ashes, than that it should be built up with the
  skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
• Gospel is true treasure of Church

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German Political Situation Early 16th C

• Germany (all of Central Europe) actually composed
  of separate dutchies, loosely confederated into
  the Holy Roman Empire
• HRE goes back to Otto I in the 10th C
• Diet an assembly of more important princes, or
  Electors, who administered much of Germany
  also chose the HRE
• By 15th C Emperor almost always chosen from
  Hapsburgs who ruled Austria
• Roughly three classes nobility, knights,
  peasants
• But a growing new class of merchants, small
  business owners Luthers father

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German 16th C Social Unrest

• Major nobility (electors) becoming increasingly
  powerful
• But recognized that Charles V was a very strong
  Emperor
• Concerned that Pope could appoint powerful
  bishops and funds leaving Germany through simony
  and indulgence selling
• Knights losing place in society
• Rulers using lawyers for counsel and standing
  armies or mercenaries for military
• Knights become mercenaries
• Peasants economically oppressed by nobility and
  urban merchant class
• Printing press is increasing literacy among
  peasants

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Luther and Politics

• Luthers primary political supporter was Fredrick
  the Wise of Saxony
• He establish University at Wittenburg
• Protected Luther after Diet of Worms taking him
  to Wartburg
• Battled Charles V and succeeded in getting the
  Peace of Augsburg signed
• But Frederick also allied with Pope Leo X against
  Charles V and the Turks
• Luther interpreted Rom. 13 as requiring
  Christians to support their rulers, regardless of
  circumstances

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Luther and Peasants and Jews

• Peasant unrest throughout 16th C
• Misunderstand Luthers call to freedom of
  Christian and priesthood of all believers as call
  to greater social autonomy
• Publish 12 Articles of Grievances of Peasants
  1525
• Peasant Revolt of 1525 led by one of Luthers
  supporters, Thomas Muentzer
• Luther repudiates Peasant Revolt, encourages
  nobility to crush revolt in Against the Murderous
  and Thieving Hordes of Peasants
• Jews in 16th C
• Recall popularly blamed for plague
• Competitors to rising merchant class
• Luther was deeply anti-Semitic, The Jews and
  Their Lies

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Appeal to German Nobility, 1520

• Three walls built around Roman Church
• Popes decree that temporal powers have no
  jurisdiction over them
• Only Pope can interpret Scripture
• Only a Pope can summon a council
• Luthers response
• No difference between laymen and priests
• Scripture does not say that only Pope can
  interpret Scripture
• When Pope acts contrary to Scripture it is the
  duty of Christians to oppose him

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Political Response Against Luther and German
Princes

• Pope Leo X did not want to cross Fredrick the
  Wise
• Check on Charles V power
• Wanted Germans to take up arms against Turks
• Luther appeared before Diet of Worms, 1521
• Luther is condemned by Charles V
• Kidnapped by Fredrick the Wise and taken to
  Wartburg Castle to prevent capture by Charles V
• Schmalkaldic League formed in 1531 by German
  nobles opposed to Charles V
• Sporadic Battles between them and Charles V until
  1555

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Peace of Augsburg, 1555

• Cuius regio, eius religio, whose reign, his
  religion
• Only valid for Lutheran and Catholic princes
• Final answer to who is in charge the prince
• Note there is still no separation of Church and
  State

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Assignments

• 1. Bokenkotter, Chapter 18, 19
• 2. Archbishop Albert Mainz. The Commission of
  Indulgences in The European Reformations
  Sourcebook. ed Carter Lindberg. Malden
  Blackwell, 2000. 29-30.
• 3. Martin Luther. 95 Theses, available at
  http//www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenbe
  rg/luther/web/ninetyfive.html
• 4. Martin Luther. Appeal to German Nobility and
  Babylonian Captivity of the Church. in The
  European Reformations Sourcebook. ed Carter
  Lindberg. Malden Blackwell, 2000. 36-39.
• 5. Peace of Augsburg available at
  http//www.uoregon.edu/sshoemak/323/texts/augsbu
  rg.htm