Essay The State of the Pre-Reformation Church - 582 Words

The State of the Pre-Reformation Church There are various ideas about the state of the church before the Reformation. Some individuals say that the church was still considered to be a pillar of hope and comfort for the English people to look up to and gain reassurance from in the 1500s. Others however say that the church was in a horrific state, promoting wrong doing and malevolence. The question to be further considered is whether the church during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries fulfilled its functions while keeping the good English people satisfied. It has been argued that the pre-reformation church was a corrupt and failing institution and therefore Henry had to†¦show more content†¦A Bishop was also obliged to attend Parliament, as he owed the service of counsel to the king, but not many attended regularly. Another grievance towards the Bishops was sexual irregularity with many Bishops seemingly ignoring their vow of chastity by having mistresses and illegitimate children. Neglect of the care of souls and simony were also attributed to the Bishops. The lower clergy and parish priests on the other hand were viewed as both rapacious and ignorant. They were very important for the vast majority of the English people, living in isolated rural communities as they were the only effective representatives of the universal church. Therefore, if they were ineffective many peasants would suffer. According to figures quoted by G R Elton this could be true. Educational standards were very low, so it was fairly easy for somebody to become a parish priest. A sixteenth century survey of the diocese of Gloucester showed that out of 311 clergy 168 could not recite the Ten Commandments, and 33 could not locate them in the Bible. 10 could recite the Lords Prayer, and 39 did not know where to find it in the Bible. Between 1500-50, 869 East Anglican clergy died and left wills and these reveal that only 158 possessed any books at all, and only 17 left Bibles. This would undoubtedly be aShow MoreRelated Henry VIIIs Reformation Essay1025 Words   |à ‚  5 Pages Henry VIIIs Reformation In 1529 Henry VIII started to reform the Catholic Church in England, however there are different opinions as to why he began these controversial changes. The orthodox view concurs that there was a vast anti-clerical feeling in 16th century England; the corrupt church was unpopular with the masses. However the revisionist view claims that the reformation was actually due to politics. Henry needed a male heir and therefore needed a divorce.Read MoreThe Enormous Growth During the Renaissance1420 Words   |  6 Pagesinventive ideas that influence during the European history. The Renaissance occurred between the 14th and 17th century when there was revival in both learning and culture in Europe. It began in Florence, Italy and traveled throughout other city-states in Italy. It mainly occurred in Italy due to the history of Rome and Roman Empire. The Renaissance was a cultural movement that swept through Europe because of a diversion in significant understanding. Italy was so wealthy that people were willingRead MoreMartin Luther, An Augustinian Monk761 Words   |  4 Pagesthe monumental figure in the Reformation movement that brought the religious Holy Roman Catholic Empire down and changed the course of the western world history and culture. Unable to keep his silence on the unscriptural and corrupt practices of the Catholic Church any longer, especially on the issue of the sale of indulgences, he defiantly nailed his hand written Ninety-five Theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. In retaliation, the Catholic Church excommunicated and later condemnedRead MoreThe Renaissance And A Literal Translation Means Rebirth Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagessocial commentaries, allowed for religious figures such as Martin Luther to lead the Protestant reformation, encountering distaste in the current state of the Catholic community he decided to create a new, less corrupt religion. The skeptic aspect of humanism allowed for discussion on analysis of critical tenets of Christianity such as free will, ultimately leading to Luther’s reformation of the Catholic Church. The first substantial movement in the Renaissance was the humanist movement led by FrancescoRead MoreEssay about Baroque Period (1600-1750) General Background890 Words   |  4 Pagesfuture would be shaped by the far reaching consequences of war. These conflicts pitted mainly the northern countries (Belgium, Germany, England, Sweden) against the Catholic kingdoms of the south (France, Spain, Austria), and further accentuated the pre-existing cultural differences between Northern and Southern Europe. However, tremendous scientific, philosophical, and artistic accomplishments that constitute the practical foundation of modern civilization flourished side by side with continual warfareRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1487 Words   |  6 Pagesfleas bit them. Bubonic plague was one of the most feared diseases pf the ancient and medieval worlds. 2.City-states led to The renaissance in Italy: Renaissance society first took shape within the merchant cities of late medieval Italy. Italy had a cultural advantage over the rest of Europe because its geography made it the natural gateway between east and west. The city-states had wealth from commerce and that that were present in the Middle Ages. 3.Charles vIII’s march through ItalyRead MoreThe Reformation And Its Impact On The Early Modern Period1622 Words   |  7 PagesThe reformation was a drastic event in the early modern period that launched Europe into a massive conflict of widespread violence, through both political and religious factors. The political scene had remained very much the same before the beginning of the reformation in 1517, with many philosophers sharing similar ideas on how to handle the issues of sovereignty and private property. Religion was a long debated factor before the reformation however was brought inadvertently to the forefront ofRead MoreThe Development Of Exploration And The Industrial Revolution1168 Words   |  5 PagesMany historians refer to the time between ‘Exploration† and â€Å"The Industrial Revolution† as era of â€Å"Early Modern History†. In between ‘Exploration† and â€Å"The Industrial Revolution† were markers known as â₠¬Å"Reformation† and â€Å"Enlightenment†. This was a time where nations became established and grew increasingly curious of the world around them. Several technological and intellectual advances occurred during this era. Early modern history began with the â€Å"Exploration† period and ended with the â€Å"IndustrialRead MoreFreedom of Religion: THe Maryland Toleration Act Essay886 Words   |  4 Pagespracticing their religion was passed. The animosity between Protestants and Catholics in the United States of America, also called ‘American Anti-Catholicism’, resulted from the English Reformation. British colonists were determined to establish a truly reformed church in the early American colonies. Puritans ‘[left] England for the New World in order to worship in their own way.’ These children of the Reformation soon discovered not a ‘new’ land but an old problem, of factions within the faction. ManyRead MoreA Secularization - The Effects Of The Early Reformation1083 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"A Secularization – The Effects of the Early Reformation† In Philip Benedict’s article in response to Brad Gregory’s novel, The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society; Benedict addresses the long-term effects that the early Reformation had on the modern world. The articles objective is to explain how things came to be as they are institutionally and ideology in the contemporary Western world and to provide an explanation of how the past became the present. According