The Reformation Era (Greenwood Guides to Historic Events 1500-1900)

Although religious unrest had been brewing in Western Europe long before Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, historians view this event as the tipping point that shattered the unity of the Medieval Catholic civilization. Disillusioned by Church bureaucracy and awakened by the rise of Renaissance Humanism, Western Europe was primed for an alternative to the old order. Protestant reformers called for a return to scripture and a focus on individual faith, and the Catholic Church responded with a new focus on spirituality that culminated in the Council of Trent. In modern spiritual revivals, religious debates, and newer Church reforms, we can still see the legacy of the era Linder calls Midwife to the Modern World. Cover......Page 1 Front Matter......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Series Foreword......Page 10 Preface......Page 14 Acknowledgments......Page 16 Chronology of Events......Page 18 End Matter......Page 0 01 The Road to Reformation......Page 24 02 Martin Luther and the Beginning of the Protestant Reformation......Page 38 03 John Calvin and Second-Generation Protestantism......Page 58 04 The Reformation among the English-Speaking Peoples......Page 78 05 The Anabaptists and Other Radicals......Page 104 06 The Catholic Reformation......Page 126 07 Conclusion: Three Centuries Of Creative Tension......Page 146 Biographies......Page 164 Primary Documents......Page 190 Glossary of Selected Terms......Page 230 Annotated Bibliography......Page 238 Index......Page 244 About the Author......Page 254 Provides background on the Reformation Era, a period that ranged from Martin Luther's posting of his Ninety-Five Theses on the Castle Church door at Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517, to the mid-seventeenth century, looking at the Lutheran, Calvinist, Anglican, Radical, and Catholic Reformations, and discussing their social and political consequences The road to reformation -- Martin Luther and the beginning of the Protestant Reformation -- John Calvin and the second generation Protestantism -- The reformation among the English-speaking peoples -- The Anabaptists and other radicals -- The Catholic Reformation -- Three centuries of creative tension