Reformation

The Reformation was a period of change for religion in The Holy Roman Empire. People were furious at the corruption in the church. Some believed that the church shouldn't be the main religious authority. Some just didn't want to share power with the church. After the Great Schism, a division between the Roman church, leaders started new branches of Christianity.

John Wycliffe (1330-1384) was an English Scholar. He realized that the Great Schism was an opportunity for change, and he openly questioned the pope's authority. He believed that the bible was the true religious authority, and he translated it into English so normal people could read it. This enraged the pope, and John Wycliffe was accused of heresy.

Jan Hus (1370-1415) was a priest. He believed that the head of the church was Jesus. He wanted to return the church to the people. He wanted corruption among the people that officiated the church  to end, and he wanted mass to be offered in a language the people could understand. In 1415, he was burned at the stake.

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was an Italian mystic. She was an incredibly devoted, and had visions of god. She prayed for hours, and tried to end the Great Schism. Although she became a saint, her influence encouraged people to have personal spiritual experiences rather than church ones.

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was a priest from Holland. He published a book called "The Praise of Folly" that attacked church leaders. He wanted to return to Christian goodness. Although he didn't want to branch into different forms of Christianity, his influence prepared people for the reformation.

 Martin Luther was a German priest. He believed that salvation came from belief in god, not good works. Luther wrote the 95 theses against indulgences. He felt that indulgences were false salvation. Many were confused by his ideas, so he published pamphlets about his beliefs. He haggled that the bible was the true religious authority and that baptism and Eucharist were the only true sacraments. The Diet of Worms declared that Luther was a heretic, but his ideas still reached many. Later, he started Lutheranism.

Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531) was a Swiss priest. He convinced his government to ban any non-bible based worship and secede from the church. He believed that worship of relics, saints, statues, and painting were wrong. He thought church services should be free from music. When Swiss Catholics declared war on his town, Zwingli died in battle.

John Calvin (1509-1564) was a French humanist. He started  Calvinism, a strict religion based on the idea that god elected a lucky few to be saved. These people showed they were saved by acting without sin. The Calvinist branch inspired many other branches of Christianity.

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) was the King of England. He started the Church of England because he didn't want to share power. He also formed his own church because the pope denied him a divorce. He shut down all English Catholic monasteries.