An Introduction to the Reformation
During the 1300s and 1400s, many Christians lost faith in some of the teachings of the Catholic Church and its religious leadership. The Middle Ages is also referred to as the Age of Faith because it was a time when most members of European only in the Christian concept of God, but in the notion that the only way to salvation was through the Roman Catholic Church. This fact put the Church in a position of tremendous power, as few Europeans would dare doubt the institution that could ensure their eternal life, or more ominously, banish them to damnation. As the Medieval era drew to a close, however, new thinking that emerged from the humanist movement led reformers from both within and outside the Church to question the validity of some of the Church's teachings and practices.
A major source of discontent with the Church grew out of its power struggle with European monarchs. Throughout Europe, important feudal positions had been staffed by clergy members, and feudal dues and taxes were an important source of income for the Church. As feudalism declined and the power of monarchs increased, the Church took great care to insure that its power was not reduced at the hands of monarchs. The pope was as much a temporal prince as he was a spiritual shepherd. Protecting his Papal States from the likes of France, Spain, Naples, Venice, and the Holy Roman Empire involved the papacy in endless wars. Pope Julius II, who ruled from 1503 to 1513, wore a suit of armor and rode into battle at the head of the papal armies. In several cases, popes used excommunication as a way to force monarchs to adhere to their wishes. Even so, monarchs battled the Church hierarchy for political power.
The pope's struggle against the French crown resulted in the most dramatic and damaging clash between church and state. In 1296 Philip IV The Fair, King of France, attempted to tax the French clergy. The pope, Boniface VIII, responded by threatening to excommunicate Philip. Philip then sent troops to kidnap the pope. Though he was soon released, the trauma caused the 86-year-old pope to die within the month. Philip then used his influence to have a Frenchman, Clement V, elected pope. Instead of going to Rome, Clement set up his court in Avignon, in present-day southeast France. From 1305 to 1375 seven popes ruled the Church from France, a period known as the Babylonian Captivity. Many Christians lost respect for the position of pope because they now considered the pope to be a puppet of the French crown.
The end of the Babylonian Captivity ironically resulted in even more trouble for the papacy. In 1376, Pope Gregory XI moved the papal court back to Rome, ending the Captivity. He died in 1378, and an Italian, Urban Vl, was hastily elected pope for fear that angry Roman mobs would storm the papal residence. Many Romans feared that influential French cardinals planned to move the papacy back to Avignon. Urban Vl immediately upset many cardinals by denying them the usual benefits of their positions, and his behavior became so unorthodox that it was feared he had gone mad. Concerned, cardinals held a separate election and chose Clement Vll, a Frenchman, to be pope. Clement set up a rival papacy in Avignon, beginning a period known as the Great Schism. No act in the medieval period caused greater dissension among the faithful Christians. Many asked how they could be expected to consider the pope a supreme source of religious dogma when there were two popes. Furthermore, they began to realize that the Church was a corrupt body with many areas of abuse.
The pope's struggle against the French crown resulted in the most dramatic and damaging clash between church and state. In 1296 Philip IV The Fair, King of France, attempted to tax the French clergy. The pope, Boniface VIII, responded by threatening to excommunicate Philip. Philip then sent troops to kidnap the pope. Though he was soon released, the trauma caused the 86-year-old pope to die within the month. Philip then used his influence to have a Frenchman, Clement V, elected pope. Instead of going to Rome, Clement set up his court in Avignon, in present-day southeast France. From 1305 to 1375 seven popes ruled the Church from France, a period known as the Babylonian Captivity. Many Christians lost respect for the position of pope because they now considered the pope to be a puppet of the French crown.
The end of the Babylonian Captivity ironically resulted in even more trouble for the papacy. In 1376, Pope Gregory XI moved the papal court back to Rome, ending the Captivity. He died in 1378, and an Italian, Urban Vl, was hastily elected pope for fear that angry Roman mobs would storm the papal residence. Many Romans feared that influential French cardinals planned to move the papacy back to Avignon. Urban Vl immediately upset many cardinals by denying them the usual benefits of their positions, and his behavior became so unorthodox that it was feared he had gone mad. Concerned, cardinals held a separate election and chose Clement Vll, a Frenchman, to be pope. Clement set up a rival papacy in Avignon, beginning a period known as the Great Schism. No act in the medieval period caused greater dissension among the faithful Christians. Many asked how they could be expected to consider the pope a supreme source of religious dogma when there were two popes. Furthermore, they began to realize that the Church was a corrupt body with many areas of abuse.