The Reformation

Before the reformation Europe was all Christian and followed the teachings of the Pope
After the reformation Europe was split into protestants who demanded the abuses in the church be reformed or fixed and catholics who still followed the Popes teachings
Abuses in the church at the time can be remembered by the acroynm S.N.A.P.

S- Simony: The use of money to bribe the church and use this money to get a position in the church for example a Bishop
N-Nepotism: When your family members have important positions in the church and can be used to get you into the church also.
A-Absenteeism: This occurs when a priest or bishop in the catholic church does not visit their parish or diocese
P- Pluralism: When a bishop has control of two or more dioceses but does not treat each one equally

As well as these abuses, people were annoyed by the fact they had to pay a tithe which was one tenth of someones earnings. People found this very unfair, especially the poor

Martin Luther was born in Wittenberg, Germany. He became a augustinian monk, against the wishes of his father (a lawyer) who wanted him to study law and wanted to go to heaven when he died
He, like many, believed there were too many abuses in the church such as simony
He also believed in only two sacrements, baptism and eucharist
He tried good works but he felt he was not good enough to please god. One day he read a letter in the bible from St. Peter which said that a good man is saved by faith alone (Justification by faith alone)
Meanwhile, in Rome, Pope Leo wanted to build a new St. Peters. He announced that anyone who gave money for it would get an indulgence
In Germany a monk called John Tetzel collected money for the indulgences. He promised people that if they gave money they would go to heaven when they died
Tetzel's ideas made Luther angry. He set out 95 theses or arguments against the indulgences which he placed on the doors of Wittenberg Cathedral
Later he said that the Pope was wrong and that people must read the bible to find out what god wants
The Pope proclaimed Luther a heretic (someone that betrays the teachings of the church)and excommunicated him but Luther cared little and burned the Popes letter
Luther later translated the bible into the vernacular (The language of the people) and as a result literacy spread

In 1519 Charles V became emporer of the Holy Roman Empire
One of the first problems he had to deal with was Martin Luther
The Pope wanted Charles to arrest Martin Luther and brand him a heretic
However this would be difficult as most people thought Luther was a hero
Charles called a meeting of the German Princes
This meeting was called a diet which took place in the city of worms in 1521
Charles wanted the Princes to decide what to do with the Luther
They decided to allow Luther to come before them and convey his beliefs before they arrested him
Luther told the emoporer and the princes all that he belived but they were not impressed
Charles branded him a heretic, however Luther escaped from worms before Charles could have him arrested

Luther wanted only two sacrements (Baptism and Eucharist). Against 7 in the catholic church
He believed that people would be saved if they believe in god (Justification by faith alone). However in the catholic church they believed both faith and good works was required to get into heaven
Priests were allowed to marry in Luthers church but not in the catholic church
The bible and all church services would be written and said in the vernacular while latin was the dominant language in the catholic church.

Calvin was a follower of Luther who wanted a stricter church
He went to Geneva, Switzerland, to start his religion
All his beliefs were written in his book The Institution of the Christian Religion
He believed, like Luther, in only 2 sacrements (baptism and eucharist), predestination and in plain and simple churches with no stained glass windows or statues. As well as that services or mass would be conducted by presbyters instead of priests and therefore the religion he founded became known as the Presbyterian church
He set up schools to allow children to be educated to read and write in the vernacular
One of the followers of Calvin, John Knox, brought his presbyterian religion to Scotland and from there it spread to Ireland
French followers of Calvin called huguenots were being persecuted by the French King and fled to Ireland. Some went to Cork city and settled in French church street
Other followers of Calvin called Puritans emigrated to America and spread their religion there