WORLD A — TRANSITION TO THE MODERN WORLD · REALM 06
The Reformation
Protestant Rupture · Calvinism & Anglicanism · Counter-Reformation
The Shattering of Christendom
In 1517, a theological dispute over indulgences ignited a continent-spanning conflagration. **Martin Luther's** insistence on *Sola Fide* (Faith Alone) and *Sola Scriptura* (Scripture Alone) broke the thousand-year monopoly of the Roman Catholic Church. This spiritual rupture rapidly morphed into a political revolution, spawning **Calvinist theocracies**, the dynastic **English Reformation**, a fierce **Catholic Counter-Reformation**, and a century of devastating religious wars that finally culminated in the modern system of sovereign states.
PAPAL CORRUPTION →
LUTHER'S 95 THESES (1517) →
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH →
CALVIN'S PREDESTINATION →
HENRY VIII & SUPREMACY →
COUNCIL OF TRENT →
JESUITS & INQUISITION →
WARS OF RELIGION →
PEACE OF WESTPHALIA (1648)
CLUSTER I — THE LUTHERAN RUPTURE
Origins · Indulgences · Diet of Worms (Nodes 06.01 – 06.09)
NODE 06.01
Pre-Reformation Dissent
- John Wycliffe (Lollards)
- Jan Hus burned at stake (1415)
- Early demands for vernacular Bible
ORIGIN: DISSENTBRANCH →
NODE 06.02
Northern Humanism
- Erasmus lays the egg Luther hatched
- Satire of clerical ignorance
- Return to original Greek scriptures
ORIGIN: HUMANISMBRANCH →
NODE 06.03
Crisis of the Papacy
- Avignon Papacy (Babylonian Captivity)
- The Great Western Schism
- Loss of moral prestige
ORIGIN: PAPACYBRANCH →
NODE 06.04
Indulgence Controversy
- Johann Tetzel's aggressive sales
- Purchasing time out of Purgatory
- Funding St. Peter's Basilica
LUTHER: SPARKBRANCH →
NODE 06.05
Justification by Faith
- Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
- Salvation as an unearned gift
- Rejection of "good works" for salvation
LUTHER: THEOLOGYBRANCH →
NODE 06.06
The 95 Theses (1517)
- Nailed to Wittenberg church door
- Academic debate turned viral
- Challenged papal authority to forgive
LUTHER: REVOLTBRANCH →
NODE 06.07
The Diet of Worms (1521)
- "Here I stand, I can do no other"
- Defiance of Emperor Charles V
- Luther declared an outlaw
LUTHER: DEFIANCEBRANCH →
NODE 06.08
Print & Propaganda
- Mass-produced vernacular pamphlets
- Woodcuts mock the Papacy
- Luther's German Bible translation
LUTHER: MEDIABRANCH →
NODE 06.09
German Peasants' War
- 1524–1525 massive uprising
- Spiritual equality taken literally
- Luther violently condemns peasants
LUTHER: FALLOUTBRANCH →
CLUSTER II — CALVINISM & RADICAL REFORM
Zwingli · Anabaptists · Predestination (Nodes 06.10 – 06.18)
NODE 06.10
Zwingli & Zurich
- Swiss Reformation origins
- Strict scriptural literalism
- Iconoclasm (smashing statues/art)
SWISS: ZWINGLIBRANCH →
NODE 06.11
The Marburg Colloquy
- 1529 debate over the Eucharist
- Luther (Consubstantiation) vs Zwingli (Symbolic)
- Permanent Protestant splintering
SWISS: SCHISMBRANCH →
NODE 06.12
The Radical Reformation
- Anabaptists & adult baptism
- Separation of church and state
- Persecuted by Catholics & Protestants
SWISS: RADICALBRANCH →
NODE 06.13
John Calvin
- Institutes of the Christian Religion
- Systematized Protestant theology
- Absolute sovereignty of God
CALVIN: THEOLOGYBRANCH →
NODE 06.14
Doctrine of Predestination
- God pre-selects the "Elect" for salvation
- Human actions cannot change fate
- Creates intense moral anxiety/discipline
CALVIN: DOCTRINEBRANCH →
NODE 06.15
Calvin's Geneva
- City run as a holy theocracy
- Consistory enforces strict morality
- Banning dancing, cards, theater
CALVIN: POLITYBRANCH →
NODE 06.16
The Protestant Ethic
- Max Weber's sociological thesis
- Hard work as a sign of Election
- Catalyst for early capitalism
CALVIN: ECONOMYBRANCH →
NODE 06.17
John Knox & Scotland
- Calvinism spreads to Scotland
- Establishment of Presbyterianism
- Overthrow of Catholic Mary Queen of Scots
CALVIN: SCOTLANDBRANCH →
NODE 06.18
The French Huguenots
- French Calvinist minority
- Drawn heavily from nobility/bourgeoisie
- Sets stage for French civil wars
CALVIN: FRANCEBRANCH →
CLUSTER III — THE ENGLISH REFORMATION
Henry VIII · Act of Supremacy · Elizabethan Settlement (Nodes 06.19 – 06.27)
NODE 06.19
Henry's "Great Matter"
- Need for a male heir
- Divorce from Catherine of Aragon
- Pope Clement VII's refusal
ENGLAND: ORIGINSBRANCH →
NODE 06.20
Act of Supremacy (1534)
- King becomes Supreme Head of Church
- Break from Rome is political, not theological
- Execution of Thomas More
ENGLAND: SCHISMBRANCH →
NODE 06.21
Dissolution of Monasteries
- Seizure of vast Catholic wealth
- Land sold to gentry class
- Permanent economic shift in England
ENGLAND: ECONOMYBRANCH →
NODE 06.22
Edward VI & Cranmer
- Shift to true Protestant theology
- Thomas Cranmer's Book of Common Prayer
- Clerical marriage & vernacular services
ENGLAND: DOCTRINEBRANCH →
NODE 06.23
Mary I's Catholic Reaction
- Attempt to restore Roman Catholicism
- Marian persecutions ("Bloody Mary")
- Execution of Cranmer and bishops
ENGLAND: BACKLASHBRANCH →
NODE 06.24
The Elizabethan Settlement
- Pragmatic via media (middle way)
- Protestant dogma + Catholic ritual
- Thirty-Nine Articles (1563)
ENGLAND: COMPROMISEBRANCH →
NODE 06.25
The Spanish Armada (1588)
- Philip II attempts Catholic invasion
- Defeat secures Protestant England
- Rise of English naval power
ENGLAND: DEFENSEBRANCH →
NODE 06.26
Rise of the Puritans
- Desire to "purify" the Anglican Church
- Strict Calvinist minority
- Growing conflict with the Crown
ENGLAND: RADICALSBRANCH →
NODE 06.27
The Stuart Prelude
- James I & Divine Right of Kings
- Religious tension fuses with Parliament
- Sets stage for English Civil War
ENGLAND: CRISISBRANCH →
CLUSTER IV — COUNTER-REFORMATION & WARS
Council of Trent · Jesuits · Thirty Years' War (Nodes 06.28 – 06.36)
NODE 06.28
The Counter-Reformation
- Dual effort: internal reform & external defense
- Revival of Catholic mysticism
- Halting Protestant expansion in Southern Europe
CATHOLIC: REVIVALBRANCH →
NODE 06.29
Ignatius & The Jesuits
IHS
- Society of Jesus founded 1540
- Military discipline & absolute obedience
- Vanguard of education and global missions
CATHOLIC: MILITANTBRANCH →
NODE 06.30
The Council of Trent
- 1545–1563 definitive doctrinal meetings
- Reaffirmed 7 sacraments & papal authority
- Abolished corrupt indulgence selling
CATHOLIC: DOCTRINEBRANCH →
NODE 06.31
Inquisition & The Index
- Roman Inquisition targets heresy
- Index of Prohibited Books
- Suppression of Galileo & dissenters
CATHOLIC: ENFORCEMENTBRANCH →
NODE 06.32
Baroque Art as Propaganda
- Overwhelming emotional intensity
- Chiaroscuro & dramatic action (Bernini, Caravaggio)
- Designed to inspire awe in the Catholic faithful
CATHOLIC: AESTHETICBRANCH →
NODE 06.33
French Wars of Religion
- Catholics vs Huguenots (1562–1598)
- St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572)
- Dynastic war of the Three Henrys
WAR: FRANCEBRANCH →
NODE 06.34
The Edict of Nantes (1598)
- Henry IV converts: "Paris is well worth a Mass"
- Grants religious toleration to Huguenots
- Establishes temporary internal peace
WAR: TRUCEBRANCH →
NODE 06.35
The Thirty Years' War
- 1618–1648 devastating pan-European conflict
- Starts religious (Bohemian Revolt)
- Ends political (Bourbon vs Habsburg)
WAR: EUROPEBRANCH →
NODE 06.36
Peace of Westphalia (1648)
- Cuius regio, eius religio upheld (including Calvinism)
- End of Papal political supremacy in Europe
- Birth of the modern sovereign nation-state system
WAR: RESOLUTIONBRANCH →
Core Distinctions
Lutheranism vs. Calvinism
Lutheranism emphasized Justification by Faith and kept church subordinate to the state. Calvinism centered on Double Predestination and established strict theocracies where the church often dictated to the state (e.g., Geneva).
English vs. Continental ReformationThe Continental Reformation (Luther, Calvin) began as a bottom-up theological dispute over salvation. The English Reformation (Henry VIII) began as a top-down political and dynastic maneuver to secure an heir, though it later absorbed Protestant theology.
Catholic Reformation vs. Counter-ReformationThe Catholic Reformation refers to internal spiritual revivals (new orders like the Ursulines) that pre-dated Luther. The Counter-Reformation was the militant, institutional defense (Jesuits, Inquisition, Council of Trent) specifically designed to crush Protestantism.
The Geopolitical Rupture
How a theological debate forged the modern state system.
UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHRISTENDOM
↓ 95 Theses & Print Propaganda
LUTHERAN SCHISM
↓ Predestination & Radical Dissent
CALVINIST THEOCRACIES
↓ Trent · Jesuits · 30 Years' War
WESTPHALIAN NATION-STATES