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Renaissance

Reformation

History >> Renaissance for Kids

The Reformation occurred during Renaissance times. It was a split in the Catholic Church where a new type of Christianity called Protestantism was born.

More People Reading the Bible

During the Middle Ages, few people other than monks and priests knew how to read and write. However, with the Renaissance, more and more people became educated and learned how to read. At the same time, the printing press was invented allowing for new ideas, as well as scriptures of the Bible, to be easily printed and distributed. People were able to read the Bible for themselves for the first time.

Martin Luther

A monk named Martin Luther began to question the practices of the Catholic Church as he studied the Bible. He found many areas where he felt the Bible and the Catholic Church disagreed. On October 31, 1517 Luther took a list of 95 points where he thought the Church had gone wrong and nailed it to the door of a Catholic Church.

Martin Luther
Martin Luther - Leader of the Reformation
by Lucas Cranach

Less Money for the Church

One of the practices that Luther disagreed with was the paying of indulgences. This practice allowed people to be forgiven of their sins when they paid the church money. After Luther nailed his list to the Church, the Catholics began to make less money. This made them mad. They kicked him out of the church and called him a heretic. This may not sound bad today, but in those times heretics were often put to death.

Luther's 95 Theses
95 Theses - 95 points Luther wanted to make


Reform Spreads through Northern Europe

Many people agreed with Martin Luther that the Catholic Church had become corrupt. Much of northern Europe began to separate from the Catholic Church. Several new churches were formed such as the Lutheran Church and the Reformed Church. Also new reform leaders such as John Calvin in Switzerland spoke out against the Catholic Church.

The Church of England

In a separate split from the Catholic Church, the Church of England split from the Roman Catholic Church. This was over a different issue. King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife because she did not produce a male heir for him, but the Catholic Church would not let him. He decided to split from the Roman Catholics and create his own church called the Church of England which would allow him to get a divorce.

War

Sadly, arguments over the Reformation finally led to a series of wars. Some rulers were converted to Protestantism while others still supported the Catholic Church. The Thirty Years War was fought in Germany, Martin Luther's home, and involved nearly every country in Europe. The war was devastating with estimates of between 25% and 40% of the German population being killed.

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  • Learn more about the Renaissance:

    Overview
    Timeline
    How did the Renaissance start?
    Medici Family
    Italian City-states
    Age of Exploration
    Elizabethan Era
    Ottoman Empire
    Reformation
    Northern Renaissance
    Glossary
    Culture
    Daily Life
    Renaissance Art
    Architecture
    Food
    Clothing and Fashion
    Music and Dance
    Science and Inventions
    Astronomy
    People
    Artists
    Famous Renaissance People
    Christopher Columbus
    Galileo
    Johannes Gutenberg
    Henry VIII
    Michelangelo
    Queen Elizabeth I
    Raphael
    William Shakespeare
    Leonardo da Vinci

    Works Cited



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