CHAPTER CONTENTS A. The Catholic Church in 1500 B. Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) C. Other Reformers
D. The Counter-Reformation E. Results of the Reformation Apply Your Learning
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A short history of the Reformation The majority of the population of Europe at the beginning of the sixteenth century was Christian. At that time in western Europe, being a Christian meant being a Catholic. The Church was very wealthy and had great power over the populations of Europe. However the Church faced many challenges. For example, although ordinary Christians carried out many good deeds throughout Europe (e.g. looking after the poor and sick) not all clergy (priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, monks and nuns) were as committed to doing good as they should have been. In this chapter we will examine the reasons why the clergy became so corrupt and why this corruption and abuse of power resulted in an important movement that hoped to reform the Catholic church and improve it. The changes that occurred during this period became known as the Reformation (the reforming or improving of something).