The Rise Of Indulgences During The 11th Century

Indulgences, while often associated with the Protestant Reformation, have existed since as early as the 11th century. While indulgences did exist in a way prior to this point they were not indulgences in a modern sense until the 11th century. Described today by the Catholic Church as "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints"(Catechism of the Catholic Church). In the 11th century indulgences became associated with

As public opinion of the Church began to sway, the development of Protestant ideas began. The questions that arose form the public during the 14th century of the necessity of clergy and the usage of indulgences were the first widespread Protestant ideas seen prior to the actual Protestant Reformation. One of the first significant figures to question the Church was a man names John Wycliffe. Wycliffe was an English philosopher and Catholic Priest who lived during the 14th century. His ideas on the Catholic Church would have an important effect on the future of the Church, “he led a movement of opposition to the medieval Church and to some of its dogmas and institutions, and was a forerunner of the Reformation;” (Conti). Wycliffe claimed that the Church was corrupt because of the focus it was putting on wealth, which included the Church’s usage of indulgences. He was firmly against the wealth of the Church and believed they should give it all up and not amass it anymore. The teachings of Wycliffe were denounced by the Church and many of his ideas were designated as hearsay, but Wycliffe still held onto some public support who believed in the same corruption as him. Although Wycliffe originally had the support of many Catholics, he eventually denounced the Catholic practice of transubstantiation which caused his public support to decline. While the public

This opposition to the Catholic Church became largely widespread during the 15th century by Jan Hus and later his followers. Hus was inspired by the earlier teachings of John Wycliffe and like Wycliffe was also a priest. He began to speak out against the Church’s corrupt practices, particularly surrounding wealth, and advocate for reforms withing the Church. Hus also specifically denounced the Church’s usage of indulgences as a way to procure wealth. As Hus continued to speak out against the Church, he began to earn a following of people supporting his ideas known as, Hussites. The Hussites supported the ideas of Jan Hus and contributed to the spread of his ideas and their defense across Europe. Hus eventually ran into a more direct conflict with the Catholic Church, specifically with Pope John XXIII. Pope John XXIII was one of three popes in power while Hus was denouncing the Church’s corrupt practices and he was the biggest defender of the usage of indulgences. One of Hus’s main critiques of the Catholic Church was their usage of indulgences for gaining wealth, so he was specifically against Pope John XXIII and his constant usage of them to fund his crusade. This conflict with Pope John XXIII over indulgences is what led to Jan Hus’s