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Corruption During The Reformation
Alex Quan 7B
May 18, 2000
Topic: The Church During The Renaissance
Social Studies
Brandon Doble
The Reformation was the movement within Christianity during the 16th century
that was based on the values of the Renaissance and tried to correct what
the reformers thought were the Church=s misinterpretations in the Bible
and New Testament. These actions led to the breach between the Catholic
Church and the group of reformers that were called the Protestants. Internal
corruption within the Church and abuse of Church ceremonies and practices
were why people called for a reform of the Church. The spread of the Reformation
was greatly promoted by the use of violence from the princes, nobles,
and municipal authorities. The nobles during the Reformation were corrupt
in thinking and tried to further their own ends, rather than truthfully
supporting the beliefs of Martin Luther. As a result of these nobles,
the Reformation spread throughout Europe. The Reformation was caused by
internal corruption in the Papacy, but it was the corruption and self
serving motives of European nobles that really gave the Reformation its
strength.
The Reformation was caused by internal corruption within the Church and
abuse of Church ceremonies and practices. AIt was realized in the Church
that the clergy, from the bishops downward, were failing in their duty
“The Renaissance Popes of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth
century were corrupt and secular in outlook” (Cowie, Leonard W. pg.11
and 16). Rodrigo Boria of Valenzzo, who became Pope Alexander VI in 1492
was corrupting many cardinals by money, and others by promises of profitable
places and benefits, which was brought to Pope Innocent VIII’s attention.
Even the bishops and abbots considered themselves as profane rulers, rather
than as servants of the Church. They even were more concerned with their
income and how to increase it. (Kirsch, J.P. http://www.newadvent/cathen/12700b.htm.)
They also tried to obtain more power for themselves through others. Pope
Julius II actually commanded a Papal Army in 1511 that attacked a Christian
town that was held by the French.(Cowie pg. 18) Many people were agitated
and confused about that. After this the prominence of the clergy had suffered
considerably and many people regarded the Church with contempt. Since
these Church officials were so self-centered they were one of the reasons
the Reformation began. Many people thought these officials were hypocrites.
This is why people called for a reform of the Church.
The Reformation started in Germany and expanded throughout Europe. The
Reformation started in Germany when Martin Luther, an Augustinian university
professor at Wittenberg, published 95 theses’ about the Church’s
corruption and asked for opinions about them. The Pope=s interference
in secular matters was not being questioned, “But even in England,
where this had gone farthest, there had been no question of breaking away
from the Church or of disputing its doctrine.”(Mills, Dorothy pg.
198) One of the main corrupt practices of the Church became Indulgences.
Indulgences began as the penance someone paid when they committed a sin
and confessed it to a priest. “To this end men went out on Crusades,
set out on pilgrimages, devoted their wealth to the endowment of monasteries,
mortified their bodies with fasting and scourging”(Mills pg. 205).
By Luther’s time it was common for people to pay money to the Church
instead of performing an act of penance. It was also a common belief that
time in purgatory could be reduced by a payment of money to the Church.
(Mills, pg. 198-205)
As a result of publishing his 95 theses’, Luther was excommunicated
by the Church. Luther was protected by Elector Frederick of Saxony, Luther’s
territorial sovereign. With Frederick=s help, Luther continued to talk
about these things and developed a following within Saxony. His followers
created “lutheran” communities which opposed the Catholic Church.
(Kirsch ibid)
The spread of the Reformation was greatly promoted by the use of violence
by the princes, nobles, and municipal authorities. Priests who remained
Catholic were expelled and replaced by Lutherans. “The faithful adherents
of the Church were variously persecuted, and the civil authorities saw
to it that the faith of the descendants of those who had strongly opposed
the Reformation was gradually sapped.”(Kirsch ibid) The civil power
was the chief factor in spreading the Reformation everywhere.
The Lutheran Reformation entered Denmark, Norway and Sweden through royal
influences. King Christian II of Denmark welcomed this reformation because
it weakened the nobility and the clergy which then increased the king’s
power. Christian II was unsuccessful in spreading Martin Luther’s
teachings in Denmark. He lost his throne and his uncle, Duke Frederick,
replaced him. Frederick was a secret follower of Lutheranism. Eventually
he granted freedom of religion to reformers, permitted clergy to marry
and took control over church appointments. (Kirsch ibid)
Frederick’s son, Christian III, was a strong supporter of Lutheranism.
He introduced the Reformation into Norway by force. After Christian III
beheaded the Bishop of Holum, the Reformation spread rapidly. The introduction
of the Reformation into Sweden was more difficult and was done for political
reasons. Gustavus Vasa was an imperial chancellor who was elected king
when Christian III took over Denmark. Vasa wanted to turn Sweden into
a hereditary monarchy but the clergy and nobility stopped him. The Reformation
helped him to attain his desire, even though its introduction was difficult
among the people of the Catholic Faith. He appointed Lutheran supporters
to high positions in the government. At the same time he tried to appear
loyal to the Church. When the people rebelled against Vasa, he accused
Catholic bishops of high treason, executed two of them, and made the country
Lutheran. This made Vasa’s desire of a hereditary monarchy possible.
(Kirsch ibid) Vasa was unfaithful to the Catholic Church because he wanted
to further his own ends.
The Reformation was spread in Hungary by Hungarian students who had studied
at Wittenberg and had adopted Lutheran beliefs there. Although laws were
passed against the new religion, the people continued to embrace Lutheranism.
Several reform sects developed in Hungary. All of them were driven by
the desire of the nobility to gain control of the property held by the
Church. (Kirsch ibid)
In Transylvania, merchants who believed in Luther’s teachings were
responsible for spreading the Reform movement. Like in Hungary, there
were many different groups in the Reform movement, all of whom were interested
in taking over the ecclesiastical property. (Kirsch ibid)
In England people became resentful of the amount of money the Catholic
Church demanded of them. They were also bitter over the lavishness of
the courts kept by the Pope. There was also concern that the religious
officials were becoming more extravagant in their lifestyle. Simon Fish
published a book called Supplication of Beggars that criticized the clergy
for “being wolves instead of shepherds... All this stirring of men’s
minds made England ready for a reform.”(Mills pg. 224 and 225) King
Henry VIII took advantage of the attitude of the people when the Catholic
Church refused to give him a divorce to marry Anne Boleyn. He had parliament
pass laws forbidding money to be paid to the Pope, forbidding the people
to appeal to the Papal courts, establishing the right of the king to nominate
all bishops and for the Pope always to be called the Bishop of Rome and
never to have any power in England. When he met no real opposition to
these laws, he had parliament pass the Act of Supremacy which made Henry
the head of the church and the Act of Succession which passed the crown
to Anne Boleyn’s children. (Mills pg. 223-225)
Corruption throughout the Church was the main cause of the Reformation
movement. The Reformation was started by Martin Luther in Germany. It
spread throughout Europe for both political and religious reasons. The
Reformation was caused by internal corruptions in the papacy, but it was
the corruption and self serving motives of European nobles that really
gave the Reformation its strength.
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