The Reformation plays a large role in our history and Christian religion. It had many effects on the European world at the time and even affects us in many ways today.
Religious Impact and Achievements
The Reformation had a huge effect on how we think of Christianity and its ideas. Many new Christian sects sprung up as well. Martin Luther laid out the foundations for Protestantism and created Lutherism. This sect was very popular and still is today. He also believed that the Bible is the sole source of religious truth and that faith alone would bring salvation. He strongly criticized the Church and encouraged others to dislike the church as well. Also, he translated the Bible into german so all could read it. John Calvin made a lot of contributions as well. He created Calvinism, another Protestant sect, and believed in many of Luther's ideas. He also believed in the idea of predestination. It states that God had already chosen who would gain salvation and who wouldn't long ago. Another major contributor was William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English for everybody to read. As a result, the Church tried to reform and restructurize itself as well. They created the society of Jesus and the Council of Trent, both of which improved and made many major reforms to the Church. The Church was soon much less corrupt and more devoted to doing their duty. The Reformation is what makes our religion the way it is today.
Political Impact
The Church lost a lot of power as a result of the Reformation. Kings began to gain power because of their strength in wars. During the Middle Ages, popes had sent small armies around to attack. However, during the Reformation, kings took control of the armies and sent huge armies around, proving their ability. Soon, there were new ways of governing. One was an absolute monarchy, a system of goverment where a monarch controls everything including laws, taxes, and which goverment officials were appointed. Louis XIV of France was a very successful absolute monarch. Another system of goverment was a contitutional monarchy. In this type of goverment, kings had less power and were limited by a consitution. There usually also another large legislative group, for example, a Parliament. England is especially well-known for its constituional monarchy. The system began in England during the Glorious Revolution, when William of Orange and Mary became the king and queen. They established the English Bill of Rights, which was a list of rights containing the main principles of the Magna Carta. This limited their power and gave power to the English Parliament. Finally, many countries adpoted a self-goverment. This type of goverment was strongly influenced by Calvin's ideas. Most of these countries were Protestant. People began to elect their own leaders and were able to voice their opinions on issues. A man named John Althusius came up with the idea of federalism, a form of goverment where power is shared between local and national levels, which is the system the United States is based on today. The Reformation actually played a large role in politics and many new ways of governing were created because of it.
