Martin Luther Imperialism

He was preaching in the Germanic states to the gullible crowds. He took it a step further by persuading the people that “as soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs,” meaning that if they purchased an indulgence, their relatives would be immediately freed from the suffering in Purgatory. Indulgences were a chief reason as to why Luther nailed his ‘95 Theses’ onto the Wittenberg Cathedral. Theses 51. “Christians should be taught that, as it would be the duty, so it would be the wish of the Pope, even to sell, if necessary, the Basilica of St. Peter, and to give of his own money to very many of those from whom the preachers of pardons [indulgences] extract money. Luther was curious to why the Pope would charge

In an effort to overthrow the prevailed system of heavy taxes, the peasants of Germany united against the aristocracy. Although the peasants earned the least amount of money, they paid the higher taxes while the nobles were exempted from them. Driven by starvation, bands of peasants roamed throughout Germany and Switzerland, gaining support and massacring landlords and nobles. Despite aid from others, the peasants were poorly armed against the skilled armies resulting in thousands of casualties. They were inspired by Luther’s emphasis on individualism to take a radical approach towards the government. The peasants misinterpreted Luther’s message and claimed he would be supportive of their revolt. Contrarily, Luther believed that temporal authority should not be challenged, especially in a radical

The Dutch Indies Company traded with countries such as Germany, France, and Turkey. During this time, the Spanish Armada was warring with the trade partners of the Netherlands. To make matters worse, the Dutch were forced to lend money to the Spaniards for the wars they caused. This resulted in the Dutch losing business partners and valuable customers. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the people tolerated Protestantism, but King Philip of Spain was a strict Catholic. His troops stormed into the Netherlands, persecuting the Protestants who practiced iconoclasm. The Dutch could no longer permit the abuse of the Spanish and wanted independence. William the Silent rose as the leader for the Dutch and after years of fighting, the Oath of Abjuration was issued. The Dutch Revolt caused the Netherlands to be divided into a Protestant north and a Catholic south. Tied to the Dutch Revolt was one of the bloodiest wars in European history- The Thirty Years’ War. Beginning in Bohemia, various religions lived in relative peace until Ferdinand II became the Holy Roman Emperor. He was staunchly Catholic and the Protestants feared persecution and religious restrictions. The faith of the Protestants was protected under the Treaty of Augsburg, and when Ferdinand curtailed their religious practices- they felt violated. The war expanded from Bohemia to the involvement of the major powers such as Sweden, France,