Protestant Reformation Dbq Essay
Daji, Shay
Final Exam, Question #1
HIST 151, Spring 2015
Word Count: 1498
May 2nd 2015
Factors Precipitating the Inevitability of the Protestant Reformation
In 1517, a single friar collapsed thousands of years of religious unity, undermining the power of the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that held religious authority over the majority of the Western world. Martin Luther, the son of a miner, published a document titled The Ninety-Five Theses that challenged the selling of indulgences as a general pardon and exemption from purgatory. How is it possible that one publication by a lowly German monk could destabilize the authority of the most powerful institution in Europe? Luther was not alone in his dissatisfaction with the Church and …show more content…
In the textbook, The Western Experience, Mortimer Chambers states, “Although the culmination of these disruptions did not come until the Reformation in the 1500s, the history of the previous two centuries made it clear that the institution was profoundly troubled” (Chambers 347). The Avignon Exile, in which the center of power of the Papacy moved from its historic home in Rome to the French city of Avignon undermined the institution’s legitimacy. Several successive Popes stated that, at the time, the Papacy could not be effectively controlled in Rome, even though they expressed desire to return, showcasing administrative weakness (Chambers 347). Seven months after the return of the Pope to Rome, a second Pope was named, prompting the Great Schism. Although the Council of Pisa succeeded in ending this conflict, there were still long-term consequences. Chambers argues that the Papacy’s close association with Italian politics degraded its universal appeal, particularly in Northern nations, “undermining the centrality of the papacy to the life of Europe” (Chambers 349). The political and cultural influence that the Papacy previously experienced all across Europe had eroded away. Most telling is that nations such as England, France, and Spain issued decrees limiting the Church’s authority in their territory. Chambers notes that these acts clearly, “document the decline of papal control over the international Christian community” (Chambers
Final Exam, Question #1
HIST 151, Spring 2015
Word Count: 1498
May 2nd 2015
Factors Precipitating the Inevitability of the Protestant Reformation
In 1517, a single friar collapsed thousands of years of religious unity, undermining the power of the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that held religious authority over the majority of the Western world. Martin Luther, the son of a miner, published a document titled The Ninety-Five Theses that challenged the selling of indulgences as a general pardon and exemption from purgatory. How is it possible that one publication by a lowly German monk could destabilize the authority of the most powerful institution in Europe? Luther was not alone in his dissatisfaction with the Church and …show more content…
In the textbook, The Western Experience, Mortimer Chambers states, “Although the culmination of these disruptions did not come until the Reformation in the 1500s, the history of the previous two centuries made it clear that the institution was profoundly troubled” (Chambers 347). The Avignon Exile, in which the center of power of the Papacy moved from its historic home in Rome to the French city of Avignon undermined the institution’s legitimacy. Several successive Popes stated that, at the time, the Papacy could not be effectively controlled in Rome, even though they expressed desire to return, showcasing administrative weakness (Chambers 347). Seven months after the return of the Pope to Rome, a second Pope was named, prompting the Great Schism. Although the Council of Pisa succeeded in ending this conflict, there were still long-term consequences. Chambers argues that the Papacy’s close association with Italian politics degraded its universal appeal, particularly in Northern nations, “undermining the centrality of the papacy to the life of Europe” (Chambers 349). The political and cultural influence that the Papacy previously experienced all across Europe had eroded away. Most telling is that nations such as England, France, and Spain issued decrees limiting the Church’s authority in their territory. Chambers notes that these acts clearly, “document the decline of papal control over the international Christian community” (Chambers