Ap World Religions Dbq Analysis

Prior to 1550, the European continent was dominated by Catholicism and had been for centuries. However, Protestantism first introduced by Martin Luther had begun to make inroads in the Holy Roman Empire and Nordic countries. Despite the growing popularity of these new religions, the majority of monarchs saw religious diversity as a weakness. Instead, most rulers pursued Religious uniformity to ensure political stability and strength. Examples of monarchs attempting to achieve religious university abound from Charles V in the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, to Rome, and to England. Charles V launched military campaigns to weed out Lutheranism and employed the Spanish Inquisition to target members of other faiths. The Pope in the Papal States would

During the period between 1550 and 1648, the view of the Holy Roman Empire, France, and the Spanish Netherlands shifted to perceive religious diversity as a strength and not as a weakness. Following the bloody civil war between Charles V and the Schmalkaldick league, the Peace of Augsburg took the first steps to reestablishing domestic stability. The contract specified in Document 4 illustrates the town council in Saxony mandating the cooperation of Lutheranism and Catholicism with the Catholic church allowing Lutheran priests to perform sermons in the upper balcony. The system helps to ensure domestic stability which goes in sharp contrast to the war under Charles V for religious uniformity. Therefore, Document 4 illustrates that the city council believed that there could be political stability with religious diversity. The Holy Roman Empire continued the trend towards tolerance after the 30 Years War. The Peace of Westphalia establishes the idea of freedom of religion for all citizens (Document 7). The peace comes after a decades long conflict that decimated as much as 30% of the population. The Peace of Westphalia

Sebastian Castellio best shows this perception in Document 1. The French Theologian paints a direct correlation between the lack of stability of a territory with the advent of differing religions or denominations (Document 1). Castellio’s point of view most likely stems from his experiences as a French Protestant and how his views led to his exile from France and how two religions resulted in a civil war in France. Spain under Philip II also maintained the importance of religious uniformity for political stability and strength. Pere Oroming’s painting of the expulsion of the Moriscos clearly illustrates this concept (Document 6). The painting depicts a sharp contrast between the dark, tumultuous sea with the Moriscos and the strong, imposing castle of the Spanish. The point of the painting is to represent the idea that Spain is more stable as a result of religious uniformity. England also continued to rely on religious uniformity as a source of stability under Queen Elizabeth I. The Act of Uniformity mandated the attendance of religion in the nation and created punishments for failure to appear loyal to the Anglican church. The move is not surprising considering the tumultuous state that England had been under from the previous rulers: Mary, Edward, and Henry VIII that all sought to create new religions. However, rather