Revolutions in religion

• Life of John Wyclif


  1320-1384
• Jan Hus burned for heresy in Prague


  1415
• Johann Gutenberg invented his printing press in Germany and printed the first Bible


  1450s
• Martin Luther published his 95 'Theses' – reasons to criticise the sale of indulgences; these were printed and widely circulated in Europe


  1517
• Luther published three short pamphlets setting out further criticisms of the Church; these were printed and circulated in German for rulers and ordinary people to read

  1520
• Luther publicly burned the Papal Bull telling him to recant his criticisms


  1520
• Luther again refused to recant and was outlawed, but protected by Frederick the Wise in Wartburg Castle where he translated the Bible into German


  1521
• William Tyndale's English Bibles were burned in St Paul's Cathedral

  1526
• Germany split into Protestant and Catholic kingdoms


  1530
• Reformers/heretics


  • John Wyclif – criticised the power of the Pope and translated the Bible into English
  • Jan Hus – followed Wyclif's ideas in Bohemia, where his followers rebelled against the Pope
  • William Tyndale – translated the Bible into English and criticised the power of the Pope
  • Desiderius Erasmus – promoted education and wanted to reform the Church but supported the Pope
  • Martin Luther – monk from Germany; in 1517 he set out 95 criticisms of the sale of indulgences; this became a larger protest attracting popular support and protection from powerful rulers, leading to the Protestant Reformation
• Indulgences


  Certificates sold by the Church claiming to offer forgiveness, allowing the purchaser to go straight to heaven when they died
• Justification by faith


  Luther's reading of the Bible convinced him that all that was needed for forgiveness and salvation, to enter heaven, was faith in God
• Intercession


  Saints were believed to be able to speak to God on behalf of a person who prayed to them, to get help for them during their life or after their death
• Mass/Eucharist


  Main church service remembering Jesus's death, with bread and wine; Catholics believed the bread and wine became Jesus's body and blood, but Protestants disagreed
• Heresy


  Wrong beliefs: Catholics believed Protestantism was heresy, and vice versa; the punishment was death by burning
• Protestant


  A label used by Catholics to refer to those who followed Luther and protested against the Catholic Church and the power of the Pope
• Wittenburg was the town in Germany where Luther taught at the university
• Saxony was a small kingdom in the Holy Roman Empire, ruled by Frederick the Wise; Luther lived in this kingdom
• Prague was the capital of Bohemia, now in Czech Republic
• The Holy Roman Empire was the empire covering central Europe including modern Germany; ruled by Emperor Charles V
• Henry VIII rejected the authority of the Pope and made himself head of the Church in England


  1533-4
• Henry VIII closed down monasteries in England and introduced some religious changes including an English Bible

  1536-8
• Reign of Edward VI, who introduced Protestant changes including English prayer book for church services


  1547-1553
• Mary I restored Catholicism in England

  1553-8
• Elizabeth I reintroduced a moderate form of Protestantism including English Bible and services


  1558
• Morebath was a village in Devon
• East Anglia (Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire) was where Protestantism was most popular
• The West Country (Cornwall, Devon, Somerset) rebelled against Protestantism in 1549
• Thomas Cromwell was Henry's chief minister; he organised the 'Break with Rome' and was Protestant
• Sir Christopher was the parish priest in Morebath from 1519-1574
• Sir Christopher's book was a record of events in the parish, written by Sir Christopher, which historians use to reconstruct Morebath's history
• St Sidwell was a local saint; Sir Christopher gave an image of her to the parish church in 1519
• Our Lady (St Mary, mother of Jesus) was a popular saint in Morebath
• Stores were groups of villagers who raised money to fund the lights
• Lights were candles kept burning in front of images of saints in the church
• Bequeath means to give something when you die
• Vestments were beautiful robes worn by the priest for church services
• Ales were social events held in the church ale house to raise funds for the stores etc.