About the Map
Prior to 1520, all of Europe was Roman Catholic with a few exceptions. The Islamic faith of the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox faith of Russia penetrated from the East, and the reform movement begun by Jan Hus (1373-1415) flourished in Bohemia. Within a few years Central and Northern Europe were divided between cities and states that remained Roman Catholic and those that embraced the new Protestant Lutheranism. Numerous sects of Protestantism followed, transforming Europe forever and sowing the seeds of religious discord that continue today.
Religious Diversity in Western Europe
Prior to 1520, all of Europe was Roman Catholic with a few exceptions. The Islamic faith of the Ottoman Empire and the Eastern Orthodox faith of Russia penetrated from the East, and the reform movement begun by Jan Hus (1373-1415) flourished in Bohemia.
Lutheranism In 1517 Martin Luther, a monk, wrote 95 theses, or proposals, meant to reform the Catholic Church. By 1521 Luther was excommunicated from the church and declared an outlaw in the Holy Roman Empire. Many individual princes and townspeople in Northern Europe converted to Lutheranism for a variety of reasons ranging from religious to economic to social to political. Within a few years Central and Northern Europe were divided between cities and states that remained Roman Catholic and those that embraced Lutheranism.
Calvinism John Calvin fled his native France when he converted to Lutheranism in 1529 and witnessed his friend burned for heresy. He eventually settled in Geneva and reformed the church there. His reforms became a model for many throughout Europe, creating another type of Christianity in Europe.
Anglicanism In 1533 King Henry VIII separated the Catholic Church in England from the Roman Catholic Church that dominated the Continent. This act permitted him to divorce his current wife and marry Anne Boleyn whom he had already impregnated with a child he hoped would be a male heir to the throne. The Church of England eventually embraced some of the reform ideas of Lutheranism and developed many of its own.
Anabaptism Anabaptists were persecuted both by Roman Catholics and by those in other Protestant denominations. Unlike other Protestants, Anabaptists believed in adult baptism. Anabaptists were never as strong or large a group as Anglicans, Calvinists, or Lutherans, but they represented yet another break from the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.
Thought Questions
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