Martin Luther led the 'Protestant Reformation' which was a religious and political development in the early 16th century. He said that the Roman Catholic church was corrupt and needed to be reformed. He also argued there needed to be reformation for other things. The reformation began when Luther posted his '95 thesus' which was what he found wrong with the Catholic church. He was offended by the sale of indulgences. He wrote pamphlets which were printed in large numbers and distributed throughout Germany. He also translated the Bible into German. The pamphlets succeeded in turning major German cities into hotbeds of Lutheranism. He succeeded in convincing large numbers of Germans. Germany were happy to have a reformation because of the corrupt church and it's issues. People began to doubt the churches teachings, local rulers wanted their independence
medieval people:
enthusiastic participation – creative – churches and cathedrals, composed music
spiritual, economic and social all intwined.
Powerful politics – bishops in competition with lords and kings. 1) benefices, unusual kind of thief not gonna be passed down family. Premises becomes vacant.
One of the world’s leading medievalists explores
medieval hearts and minds to find out what really
motivated our ancestors. Examining power, beliefs,
family and knowledge, this series looks at the
similarities and differences to modern life.
Why did people believe in demons? How quickly did
children have to grow up? Did the concept of courtly
love help or hinder women? We visit archaeological
digs, historic monuments and scientific laboratories
to discover the hopes, fears and passions of the
medieval world.
Power
The traditional model of medieval society divided
people into “those who pray, those who fight and
those who work”, assuming that most people were
priests, knights or peasants. Examining paintings
and illuminated manuscripts, we uncover the more
complex reality, consider the impact of urban revolts
and look at the groups who did not fit into the
simplistic picture, including townsmen, traders and
women.
The role of kings and queens was also more complex.
Rather than a single powerful monarch, most of
Europe was actually ruled by strong dynasties,
meaning that medieval politics were shaped by sibling
rivalries and father-son disputes. However, these
tensions gave the women of the family significant
political and legal power behind the scenes.
Beliefs
The hierarchy of medieval society did not stop
with what people could see; above the priests and
kings were angels, demons and God. The religious
structuring of the world led people to surrender
property and family, and condemn individuals as
witches, but others exploited religious beliefs to
make money. The programme also examines how
established Christian society treated Jews, Muslims
and alternative Christian groups.
Pilgrimages, such as the one described in Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales, were hugely popular. Groups of
pilgrims might travel thousands of miles to visit the
relics of the holy dead, confident of a miracle. A
comparison between the stained glass of Canterbury
Cathedral and written accounts of Thomas Becket’s
miracles demonstrate revealing consistency.
Sex
The medieval period saw the birth of the concept of
Courtly Love, when a new emphasis was placed on
elevated passion. Court singers and songwriters,
known as troubadours, dealt with themes of love and
chivalry. We tell the tale of famous medieval lovers
Abelard and Heloise, examine the link between
love and martial prowess and demonstrate how the
emergence of courtly love actually raised the status of
women.
Yet despite the emphasis on romantic love, the church
preached that the only acceptable purpose of sex
was to produce children. The programme explores
medieval views on homosexuality, illegitimacy,
prostitution and more to find out what was really
happening in the bedroom.
Knowledge
The Middle Ages were a period of invention.
Contemporary illustrations reveal the creation and
application of many devices, including the water
wheel, the mechanical clock and reading glasses.
Each invention made possible further innovations;
mill power was used to hammer metal and produce
paper and reading glasses doubled the working lives
of specialist craftsmen.
Newly built ships enabled an era of exploration.
Missionaries, envoys and merchants travelled
from Western Europe into Asia, dispelling myths of
cannibals and dog-headed creatures. These early
voyages led eventually to Columbus’s journey to
America and modern colonialism
3 Now it is time for your third task to pull everything you have been listening to together. Answer the following question in 3 paragraphs. ‘Why was there a Reformation in Germany in the early 16th century?’ Limit your answer to 700 words in total.
Paragraph 1 Explain the problems with the Roman Catholic Church that existed by the 16th century.
Paragraph 2 Explain the particular situation in Germany that made her so happy to have a Reformation.
Paragraph 3 Explain how the medieval mind worked.Cahotlic church
1. 2. spiritial power becomes important – socially + ecomically and political oneqences. No longer dependant on clergy on masses or buying indlugences which funds the papency – its free
3. political power – clergy – bishops. All priets, supervie other priest in other churces, hold a benefice (church thief, king grants land to a noble man in return for military service',