CHAPTER 1
European Renaissance and Reformation 7
prevent a civil war erupting when he died. His wife
was too old to have another child, but the pope
refused to grant him a divorce. In 1534, Henry had
the English Parliament pass a number of laws that
took England out of the Catholic Church. The laws
made the king or queen, not the pope, head of the
Church of England. Henry remarried four times,
gaining his only son from his third wife.
One of Henry’s daughters, Elizabeth, became
queen in 1558 and completed the task of creating
a separate English church. New laws gave the new
religion some traits that would appeal to both
Protestants and Catholics. In this way, Elizabeth
hoped to end religious conflict in England.
Elizabeth’s England had to face a threat from
Spain, too. In 1588, King Philip II of Spain launched
a huge invasion of ships to conquer England. This
fleet was defeated by a combination of English
fighting skill and a terrible storm. Though England
survived, Elizabeth’s reign was marked by constant
money problems.
The Reformation Continues
KEY IDEA John Calvin and other Reformation leaders
began new Protestant churches. The Catholic Church
also made reforms.
Protestantism arose elsewhere in the 1530s under
the leadership of John Calvin. Calvin wrote an
important book that gave structure to Protestant
beliefs. He taught that people are sinful by nature
and only those God chooses—“the elect”—will be
saved. He said that God knew from the beginning
which people would be saved and which would not.
Calvin created a government run by religious
leaders in a city in Switzerland. The city had strict
rules of behavior that urged people to live deeply
religious lives. Anyone who preached different religious
ideas might be burned at the stake.
A preacher named John Knox was impressed by
C a l v i n ’s high moral ideals. Knox put these ideas into
practice in Scotland. This was the beginning of
the Presbyterian Church. Others in Switzerland,
Holland, and France adopted Calvin’s ideas as well.
In France, his followers were called Huguenots.
Conflict between them and Catholics often turned
to violence. In 1572, mobs killed about 12,000
Huguenots. Another Protestant church that arose
was the Anabaptists. They preached that people
should be baptized into the faith as adults. They
influenced some later groups.
P rotestant churches gre w, but millions re m a i n e d
true to the Catholic faith. Still, the Catholic Church
took steps to reform itself. A Spanish noble named
Ignatius founded a new group in the Church based
on deep devotion to Jesus. Members started schools
across Europe. They tried to convert people to
Catholicism who were not Christians. In addition,
they tried to stop the spread of Protestant faiths in
Europe.
Two popes of the 1500s helped bring about
changes in the Church. Paul III took several steps,
including calling a great council of church leaders
at Trent, in northern Italy. The council, which met
in 1545, passed these doctrines:
• the Church’s interpretation of the Bible was final;
• Christians needed good works as well as faith to
win salvation;
• the Bible and the Church had equal authority in
setting out Christian beliefs; and
• indulgences could be sold.
Paul also put in action a kind of court called the
Inquisition. It was charged with finding, trying, and
punishing people who broke the rules of the Churc h .
His successor, Paul IV, put these policies into practice.
These actions helped revive the Church and
allowed it to survive the challenge of the Pro t e s t a n t s .
Review
1. Perceiving Cause and Effect Why did the
Renaissance arise in Italy?
2. Making Inferences Why do you think that a
person who is accomplished in many fields is
called a “Renaissance” man or woman?
3. P e rceiving Relationships How did the nort h e rn
Renaissance differ from the Italian Renaissance?
4. Drawing Conclusions What role did political
concerns play in the Reformation?
5. Making Judgments Which leader—Calvin or
Luther—do you think had a greater impact?
Explain why.
Name E u ropean Renaissance and Reform a t i o n c o n t i n u e d
4
European Renaissance and Reformation,
1300–1600
Responses will vary but should include points similar
to the following:
1. The Renaissance arose in Italy because of the
strong element of city life, the merchants who
had wealth and power, and the presence of
reminders of ancient classical heritage.
2. Such a person is called a “Renaissance” man or
woman because to be accomplished in many
fields was an ideal of the Renaissance.
3. The northern Renaissance was more interested
in spiritual matters along with classical studies
than was the Italian Renaissance.
4. Some German princes backed Luther’s ideas
because they wanted to weaken the power of the
emperor, who was Catholic. Also, Henry VIII’s
desire to have a son—and avoid a possible civil
war—led to the break between the English
church and Catholicism.
5. Luther launched the Reformation, but Calvin’s
ideas had impact on the Protestant churches of
many different countries.