Protestant Reformation and Religious Wars

There were many events that led up to the protestant reformation, some being immediately and others long term. One of the most obvious and important long term causes of the reformation was that the Roman Catholic Church became worldlier. Because the Catholic Church was growing and becoming more powerful, the protestant church challenged them and they became rivals. Another important cause was that the humanists urged the return of a simple religion. This was important because the humanists didn't want an elaborate religion they wanted to stick with the ways of the world and to keep things simple. This was important to the protestant people because they had yet another rival. In addition to this there were strong national monarchs emerging. This was obviously bad news for the protestant people.

        Many immediate causes were deeply involved in the protestant reformation. Johann Tetzel sold indulgence in Wittenberg. Tetzel claimed that the purchase of these indulgences would ensure the entrance into heaven for them and their dead relatives. He said to the people, "Don't you hear the voices of your dead parents and other relatives crying out?" (354) This intrigued a lot of people and thus lost a lot of possible converts to the protestant church were lost. Martin Luther printed his book, "The 95 These". This book included Luther's views, and how he felt about things happening in the world. This allowed others to see them and actually find for themselves what they thought about it. Luther also translated the bible into German, allowing the Germans to read the bible for themselves and learn of the faith. This proposed a large threat on the protestant church. One of the most important causes of the protestant reformation was the printing press coming into effect. Now with the ability to ...