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What were the traditional power structures in Europe in the fifteenth through seventeenth century? To what extent did the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment change power structures in Europe?

What were the traditional power structures in Europe in the fifteenth through seventeenth century? To what extent did the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment change power structures in Europe?

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What were the traditional power structures in Europe in the fifteenth through seventeenth century? To what extent did the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment change power structures in Europe?
All people with faith were equal. Therefore, people did not need priests to interpret the Bible for them.? Political Theory Before the Enlightenment Traditional rulers in Europe (and elsewhere) wanted to be absolute monarchs, kings or queens who held all of the power within their states' boundaries. Their goal was to control every aspect of society. Absolute monarchs believed in divine right, the idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God's representative on Earth. An absolute monarch answered only to God, not to his or her subjects. As Europe emerged from the Middle Ages, monarchs grew increasingly powerful. The decline of feudalism, the rise of cities, and the growth of national kingdoms all helped to centralize authority. In addition, the growing middle class usually backed monarchs, because they promised a peaceful, supportive climate for business. Monarchs used the wealth from colonies to pay for their ambitions. The Enlightenment By the seventeenth century, critics of absolutism began to rethink the relationship between people and power. Thinkers questioned the power of absolute monarchs just as Martin Luther had questioned the Catholic Church. Their efforts spurred the Enlightenment, a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Known also as the Age of Reason, the movement reached its height in the mid-1700s and brought great change to many aspects of Western civilization. Enlightenment thinkers sought to discover natural laws that governed human society in the same way that Isaac Newton's laws of universal gravitation and motion regulated the universe. Their search took different forms. The English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) worked to discover natural laws of politics. He attacked divine right theories that served as a foundation for absolute monarchy and advocated constitutional government on the grounds that sovereignty (power) resides in the people rather than the state or its rulers, this was called popular sovereignty. Indeed, he provided much of the theoretical justification for the Glorious Revolution and the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England. The French nobleman Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755) sought to establish a science of politics and helped to develop the idea of separation of powers whereby the responsibilities of the government should be separated so that no one branch has too much power. The center of Enlightenment thought was France, where prominent intellectuals known collectively as philosophes ("philosophers") advanced the cause of reason. The philosophes were not philosophers in the traditional sense of the term so much as public intellectuals. They addressed their works more to the educated public than to scholars: they mostly composed histories, novels, dramas, satires, and pamphlets on religious, moral, and political issues. Most philosophes were optimistic about the future of the world and humanity. They expected knowledge of human affairs to advance as fast as modern science, and they believed that rational understanding of human and natural affairs would bring about a new era of constant progress. In fact, progress became almost an ideology of the philosophes, who believed that natural science would lead to greater human control over the world while rational sciences of human affairs would lead to individual freedom and the construction of a prosperous, just, and equitable society. The philosophes' fond wishes for progress, prosperity, and social harmony did not come to pass. By the end of the 1800s, the majority of states in Europe and beyond were still monarchies. Rulers still asserted that they had the divine right to rule and wielded tremendous power over the public. Yet the Enlightenment helped to bring about a cultural transformation of European society. It weakened the influence of organized religion, although it by no means destroyed institutional churches. Enlightenment thought encouraged the replacement of Christian values, which had guided European thought on religious and moral affairs for more than a millennium, with a new set of secular' values arising from reason rather than biblical texts. Furthermore, the Enlightenment encouraged political and cultural * This text is an excerpt from "Patterns of Interactions" by McDougal Littell. Achievement First does not own the copyright in Patterns of Interactions and claims no copyright in this material. The material is being used exclusively for non-profit educational purposes under fair use principles in U.S. Copyright law. The user should make the judgment about whether this material may be used under fair use / fair dealing permissions in the user's country. 3 Secular - separated from religion leaders to subject society to rational analysis and intervene actively in its affairs in the interests of promoting progress and prosperity. In many ways the Enlightenment legacy continues to influence European and Euro-American societies.
Transcribed Image Text:All people with faith were equal. Therefore, people did not need priests to interpret the Bible for them.? Political Theory Before the Enlightenment Traditional rulers in Europe (and elsewhere) wanted to be absolute monarchs, kings or queens who held all of the power within their states' boundaries. Their goal was to control every aspect of society. Absolute monarchs believed in divine right, the idea that God created the monarchy and that the monarch acted as God's representative on Earth. An absolute monarch answered only to God, not to his or her subjects. As Europe emerged from the Middle Ages, monarchs grew increasingly powerful. The decline of feudalism, the rise of cities, and the growth of national kingdoms all helped to centralize authority. In addition, the growing middle class usually backed monarchs, because they promised a peaceful, supportive climate for business. Monarchs used the wealth from colonies to pay for their ambitions. The Enlightenment By the seventeenth century, critics of absolutism began to rethink the relationship between people and power. Thinkers questioned the power of absolute monarchs just as Martin Luther had questioned the Catholic Church. Their efforts spurred the Enlightenment, a new intellectual movement that stressed reason and thought and the power of individuals to solve problems. Known also as the Age of Reason, the movement reached its height in the mid-1700s and brought great change to many aspects of Western civilization. Enlightenment thinkers sought to discover natural laws that governed human society in the same way that Isaac Newton's laws of universal gravitation and motion regulated the universe. Their search took different forms. The English philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) worked to discover natural laws of politics. He attacked divine right theories that served as a foundation for absolute monarchy and advocated constitutional government on the grounds that sovereignty (power) resides in the people rather than the state or its rulers, this was called popular sovereignty. Indeed, he provided much of the theoretical justification for the Glorious Revolution and the establishment of constitutional monarchy in England. The French nobleman Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755) sought to establish a science of politics and helped to develop the idea of separation of powers whereby the responsibilities of the government should be separated so that no one branch has too much power. The center of Enlightenment thought was France, where prominent intellectuals known collectively as philosophes ("philosophers") advanced the cause of reason. The philosophes were not philosophers in the traditional sense of the term so much as public intellectuals. They addressed their works more to the educated public than to scholars: they mostly composed histories, novels, dramas, satires, and pamphlets on religious, moral, and political issues. Most philosophes were optimistic about the future of the world and humanity. They expected knowledge of human affairs to advance as fast as modern science, and they believed that rational understanding of human and natural affairs would bring about a new era of constant progress. In fact, progress became almost an ideology of the philosophes, who believed that natural science would lead to greater human control over the world while rational sciences of human affairs would lead to individual freedom and the construction of a prosperous, just, and equitable society. The philosophes' fond wishes for progress, prosperity, and social harmony did not come to pass. By the end of the 1800s, the majority of states in Europe and beyond were still monarchies. Rulers still asserted that they had the divine right to rule and wielded tremendous power over the public. Yet the Enlightenment helped to bring about a cultural transformation of European society. It weakened the influence of organized religion, although it by no means destroyed institutional churches. Enlightenment thought encouraged the replacement of Christian values, which had guided European thought on religious and moral affairs for more than a millennium, with a new set of secular' values arising from reason rather than biblical texts. Furthermore, the Enlightenment encouraged political and cultural * This text is an excerpt from "Patterns of Interactions" by McDougal Littell. Achievement First does not own the copyright in Patterns of Interactions and claims no copyright in this material. The material is being used exclusively for non-profit educational purposes under fair use principles in U.S. Copyright law. The user should make the judgment about whether this material may be used under fair use / fair dealing permissions in the user's country. 3 Secular - separated from religion leaders to subject society to rational analysis and intervene actively in its affairs in the interests of promoting progress and prosperity. In many ways the Enlightenment legacy continues to influence European and Euro-American societies.
The Protestant Reformation and The Enlightenment Key Geography Key Terms Western Europe Enlightenment Absolute • Germany (Protestant Reformation) Printing press • Divine right • Popular Protestant monarchs Reformation • Martin Luther England (Enlightenment) sovereignty France (Enlightenment) By the tenth century, the Roman Catholic Church had come to dominate religious life in Northern and Western Europe. However, the Church had not won universal approval. Over the centuries, many people criticized its practices. They felt that Church leaders were too interested in worldly pursuits, such as gaining wealth and political power. Even though the Church made some reforms during the Middle Ages, people continued to criticize it. Prompted by the actions of one man, that criticism would lead to rebellion. Causes of the Protestant Reformation Criticisms of the Catholic Church - By 1500, many forces weakened the Church. Critics of the Church claimed that its leaders were corrupt. The popes who ruled in the early modern era spent extravagantly on personal pleasure, fought wars, and committed acts not sanctioned in Catholicism. Pope Alexander VI, for example, admitted that he had fathered several children. Many popes were too busy pursuing worldly affairs to have much time for spiritual duties. A copyist took five months to produce a single book. I book One man and a printing press could produce 500 books in the same amount of time. The lower clergy had problems as well. Since the Bible was written in Latin, only church officials had the required education to teach the biblical texts. However, many priests and monks were so poorly educated that they could scarcely read, let alone teach people. Others broke their priestly vows by marrying, and some drank to excess or gambled. so0 books Figure - The invention of the Gutenberg printing press in 1440 helped spread Protestant and Enlightenment knowledge across Europe. In 1517, a German Monk named Martin Luther decided to take a public stand against the actions of a church official named Johann Tetzel. Tetzel was raising money to rebuild St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. He did this by selling indulgences. An indulgence was a pardon. It released a sinner from performing the penalty that a priest assigned for sins. Tetzel gave people the impression that by buying indulgences, they could buy their way into heaven. Luther was troubled by Tetzel's tactics. In response, he wrote 95 Theses, or formal statements, attacking the sale of indulgences. Some clergy members copied Luther's words and took them to a printer. The invention of the printing press in 1440 revolutionized how knowledge was created and spread throughout Europe and the world. Quickly, Luther's name became known all over Germany. His actions began the Protestant Reformation, a movement aimed at reforming the Catholic Church. It led to the founding of Christian churches that did not accept the pope's authority. Soon Luther went beyond criticizing indulgences. He wanted full reform of the Church. His teachings rested on three main ideas: • People could win salvation only by faith in God's gift of forgiveness. The Church taught that faith and "good works" were needed for salvation. • All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible. Both the pope and Church traditions were false authorities.
Transcribed Image Text:The Protestant Reformation and The Enlightenment Key Geography Key Terms Western Europe Enlightenment Absolute • Germany (Protestant Reformation) Printing press • Divine right • Popular Protestant monarchs Reformation • Martin Luther England (Enlightenment) sovereignty France (Enlightenment) By the tenth century, the Roman Catholic Church had come to dominate religious life in Northern and Western Europe. However, the Church had not won universal approval. Over the centuries, many people criticized its practices. They felt that Church leaders were too interested in worldly pursuits, such as gaining wealth and political power. Even though the Church made some reforms during the Middle Ages, people continued to criticize it. Prompted by the actions of one man, that criticism would lead to rebellion. Causes of the Protestant Reformation Criticisms of the Catholic Church - By 1500, many forces weakened the Church. Critics of the Church claimed that its leaders were corrupt. The popes who ruled in the early modern era spent extravagantly on personal pleasure, fought wars, and committed acts not sanctioned in Catholicism. Pope Alexander VI, for example, admitted that he had fathered several children. Many popes were too busy pursuing worldly affairs to have much time for spiritual duties. A copyist took five months to produce a single book. I book One man and a printing press could produce 500 books in the same amount of time. The lower clergy had problems as well. Since the Bible was written in Latin, only church officials had the required education to teach the biblical texts. However, many priests and monks were so poorly educated that they could scarcely read, let alone teach people. Others broke their priestly vows by marrying, and some drank to excess or gambled. so0 books Figure - The invention of the Gutenberg printing press in 1440 helped spread Protestant and Enlightenment knowledge across Europe. In 1517, a German Monk named Martin Luther decided to take a public stand against the actions of a church official named Johann Tetzel. Tetzel was raising money to rebuild St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. He did this by selling indulgences. An indulgence was a pardon. It released a sinner from performing the penalty that a priest assigned for sins. Tetzel gave people the impression that by buying indulgences, they could buy their way into heaven. Luther was troubled by Tetzel's tactics. In response, he wrote 95 Theses, or formal statements, attacking the sale of indulgences. Some clergy members copied Luther's words and took them to a printer. The invention of the printing press in 1440 revolutionized how knowledge was created and spread throughout Europe and the world. Quickly, Luther's name became known all over Germany. His actions began the Protestant Reformation, a movement aimed at reforming the Catholic Church. It led to the founding of Christian churches that did not accept the pope's authority. Soon Luther went beyond criticizing indulgences. He wanted full reform of the Church. His teachings rested on three main ideas: • People could win salvation only by faith in God's gift of forgiveness. The Church taught that faith and "good works" were needed for salvation. • All Church teachings should be clearly based on the words of the Bible. Both the pope and Church traditions were false authorities.
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