The History of The Reformation of The Catholic Church

In the 1500’s the people in Europe started to question the Pope and policies concerning indulgence from the church.Martin Luther, a monk from Wittenberg Germany wrote 95 Theses of protest and placed it on church doors. Luther’s 95 Theses started the reformation movement and reform to the church in Rome.

In the late 1440’s an invention of a printing press by Johannes Gutenberg helped spread the word of Luther’s protest. Also a translation of the Bible once written in Latin was now written in German by Luther. Luther’s followers and him were protected by the German rulers in Germany. Luther’s and his followers became a group called Protestants because they protested against the Roman Church. This caused Western Christianity to be divided into Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Therefoe, the Protestant Church was born and they began to have church services in the local languages. They believed that monasteries and convents were unnecessary because the money from the Roman Church paid for all of them. At this time a new protestant leader arose from the country of Switzerland. His name was John Calvin, which separated a protestant group into a new group known as  the Calvinists.

  During King Henry VIII {the eighth} rule the monarchy in England breaks away from the Roman Church. A religious conflict between King Henry VIII {the eighth} and the pope took place.  When the Pope wouldn’t grant King Henry VIII {the eighth} a divorce from Queen Catherine.  When the Pope refused his divorce King Henry VIII {the eighth} took control of the church and the payments to Rome.   King Henry VIII {the eighth} started a new Protestant church called the Anglican Church or also known as the Church of England.  This caused King Henry VIII {the eighth} monarchy to become very powerful even when his daughter Elizabeth took the throne.

   The Elizabethan Age was very prosperous with business and trade. However, in 1588 a threat of war with Spain over control of Atlantic trade routes.  King Philip {the second} of Spain was hoping to return England to the Catholic faith.  They prepared an attack on England with the Spanish Armada, which were 130 warships.  England only had 90 ships and the battle would take place in the English Channel.  The English fleet was faster and had better guns, in nine days the Spanish Armada was beaten and only half made it back to Spain.  England continues to build up their fleet.  This would cause England to become the greatest naval power throughout the world during this era.