Protestant Reformation In Europe

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In the early 1500’s the main religion throughout Europe was Catholicism. As time went on more people started to doubt the religion for numerous reasons. Some of which consisted of corrupt priests, indulgences, or buying a ticket to heaven, punishment for other beliefs, and the church’s interference with the monarch. Because of this, heresies became popular. With disillusion rising a Protestant Reformation began. There were two major leaders that led the Protestant Reformation in Europe. The first was Martin Luther who wrote “95 Theses”, which were new religious beliefs, and nailed them to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church. Eventually, he was outlawed and found refuge with Saxon princes, but his ideas continued to spread throughout Germany …show more content…

When Henry VIII received a daughter rather than a son, he believed he was being punished for marrying and sleeping with Catherine, his brother’s wife, and he sought an annulment. After Catherine’s nephew, Charles V, held the pope hostage to prevent the annulment, Thomas Cranmer and Thomas Cromwell, two Protestants, decided to help Henry VIII to get him away from the church. After getting him an annulment, Henry made himself the head of the new church due to the Act of Supremacy. This lead to the Dissolution, which took the wealth and land from the church and gave it back to Henry. After he wrote a new Bible, had a son with his third wife, and aided the Protestant Reformation, he died. His only son Edward took the throne at the age of nine and followed in his father’s footsteps. Aiding the Protestant Reform he allowed priests to marry and introduced the Book of Common Prayer. Unfortunately, he died at the age of 15 and Mary took the throne. She reversed the Protestant reform progress and threw out all previous reforms, executed or exiled many Protestants for heresy, and gave the pope his authority back. Once Mary died though, Elizbeth took the throne and, to maintain the Protestants support, reinstated the Act of supremacy and reintroduced the Book of Common Prayer. She did try to gain Catholic’s support as well but by the end of her reign, Catholicism was against the law. Being a priest was even considered a crime that led to many accusations of treason. It was under Elizabeth’s rule that Protestantism was able to