Complete Unit Guide Packet

Overview
On October 31, 1517 a monk named
Martin Luther made history by
nailing a long list of grievances to the
door of All Saints’ Church in
Wittenberg. Each grievance was a
problem he saw within the Catholic
Church, and the list became known as
the 95 Theses. The list highlighted
issues ranging from the sale of
indulgences (a paper you had to pay
for that would save you from
purgatory) to the lack of education
for priests.
Luther also taught that salvation could not be earned by good deeds but was received only through belief and faith in
God. Luther’s teachings challenged the Pope’s authority by teaching that the Bible is the only source of divine
knowledge. He refused to renounce these beliefs and was excommunicated by the Edict of Worms in 1521.
Johannes Gutenberg’s new printing press provided a way to spread Luther’s teachings quickly. It also allowed for
more people to own their own copy of the Bible, as opposed to relying solely on the church to learn from it.
Luther and his 95 Theses became the catalyst for a massive shift in religious ideals amongst Europeans. This led to a
split of the Catholic Church into Protestantism and the Roman Catholic Church. Other reformers like John Calvin and
John Knox helped the Protestant Church branch into other denominations.
One of the biggest challenges to the Catholic Church’s authority came from the King of England, Henry VIII. His
desperate desire for a male heir led him to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from the
Pope’s authority. He appointed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England.
In response to the Reformation, the Catholic Church began a Counter-Reformation with the Council of Trent. A series
of wars were also fought across Europe during the 16th - 18th centuries, culminating with the Thirty Years’ War. The
Peace of Westphalia resolved the conflicts by recognising three separate Christian traditions in the Holy Roman
Empire: Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism and Calvinism.

Essential Questions Content Page

a) What were the issues that people saw within the Catholic Church? Vocabulary 3
b) What circumstances led the Reformation to occur when it did? Geography 4
c) How did Europeans (elite and common) respond to Martin Luther and his People to Know 5
beliefs?
Timeline 6
d) What were some unintended consequences of the Reformation and implications
for government, politics, economy, trade, culture, and customs? Key Concepts 7-8

e) How did the Catholic Church respond to the Reformation? Visual Literacy 9-10

f) How did the invention of the printing press affect the Reformation?
 Vocabulary
Directions: Write the definition for each word in the middle column and draw a picture to represent each in the 3rd column.

A faith/religion that was founded in 16th century after the

<img src="https://media.nationalgeographic.org/assets/photos/169/473/7f7f5e70-270c-4c12-93e1-ed6840b79ed
95 theses were published as a solution to the issues sawalt="The Protestant Reformation | Nation
1243_r800x633.jpg?dd969190a4919812395a85af7bf0fc2c50af9a21"
Protestantism
Society"/> within Catolism

The largest cristian church and religious domination.It

was founded by jesus christ an his Apostles and its
practices are based upon understnding his teaches
Catholicism

A Movement to re organize the church laws because the

power of the church was diffucult to controll and they
Reformation could manage all the kingdoms

The opposite against the reformation and those where

Counter people that wanted everything to stay the same for a
reason.
Reformation

A thought of the human body and brain to

actually know the world for science not
Humanism religion.

The belief of ortodox instead of cahtolism to be more

peacefull and have a hate for the curch.
Heresy

Indulgences were groups of people that promiced to give

a way to heaven for money or a compensation.
Indulgences

The list of grevinnences that Marthin Luther nailed the

curch door in Whithedurg , Germany.
95 Theses

A system where the church could controll the knigdoms

in europe and get more power from them.
Theocracy
 Geography of the Reformation
Directions: Color and label this map of Europe c. 1550 based on the key with the majority religions in each region, major cities, and the bodies of water.

Religious Bodies of
Regions Cities Water_____
Roman Catholic  Wittenberg Mediterranean Sea

Church of England  Geneva Atlantic Ocean

Muslim  Worms North Sea

Lutheran  Rome Black Sea

Calvinist  Zurich Baltic Sea

Orthodox
atlantic sea north sea

How do you think Protestantism

spread through Europe?

black sea

medditerrenian sea
 People to Know
Directions: Add each name from the bank to the graphic organizer below. Then, identify the significant
contributions that person made to history.
John Wycliffe Henry VIII Pope Paul III
Martin Luther Elizabeth I Pope Leo X
John Calvin Johannes Gutenberg John Knox

Marthin Luther John Calvin

John Wycliffe
Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________
Contributions: Contributions: Contributions:
Made writes about how the sky He was a young person that He made and maybe made
would actually work and need translated the bible on to other some "chaged" the bible to be
the requarments making him a languages for people to know in french bringing the protestant
inspiration to marthin luther . what the bible really means his movement to france.
ideas were the bible is based on
faith .

Elizabeth the 1st Johannes Gutenberg

Henry the 8th
Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________ Name: ______________________
Contributions: Contributions: Contributions:
He was a king of england that She was Henry's daughter , and
disagreed with the pope and Johannes was a german inventor
she made england switch from which invented the printing press
didn't want catholism making him catholism to protestant which is
one of the most radical kings of , this made people buy the
still the religion to this day . invention printing more copies of
england , popularizing the
protestant religion in england. the bible .

Pope paul the 3rd

Name: ______________________ Pope leo the 10th
Name: ______________________ John Knox
Name: ______________________
Contributions: Contributions: Contributions:
He was the pope which in the He was the pope which to prove He was the responable for the
protestant movement made a dominace began plans for a scotish reformation which led to
bunch of moves to stop the crusade to show all the religions Scotland started using a
movement which led to more that catholism was still the best one protestant church .
movement in the protestant of all .
religion .
 Timeline of the Protestant Reformation
Directions: Place the following events on the timeline and draw images or symbols for at least four of them.
• Henry VIII declares himself head of the • John Calvin publishes the “Institutes of the • Luther appears before the Diet of Worms
Church of England Christian Religion” for heresy
• Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses • The Peace of Augsburg grants tolerance to • Guttenberg publishes the Gutenberg Bible
Lutherans
• Ignatius of Loyola founds the Jesuit Order
• The Council of Trent begins as part of the
• Henry VIII separates from the Catholic Church
Catholic Reformation

Henry VIII
declares
Martin himself
Luther head of the John Calvin The Peace of
posts Church of publishes the Augsburg
the 95 England “Institutes of grants
Theses the Christian tolerance to
Religion” Lutherans

1430 1450 1460 1470 1480 1490 1500 1510 1520 1530 1540 1550 1560

Luther appears Henry

Guttenberg before the Diet The Council of
publishes the Ignatius of VIII Trent begins as
of Worms for Loyola foundsseparates
Gut enberg heresy part of the
the Jesuit from the Catholic
Bible Catholic
Orde Reformation
Church

Which event do you feel had the biggest impact on the world and why?
 Key Concepts
Directions: For each section, answer the questions in complete sentences.

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses highlighted issues that many people saw within the Catholic Church, but mostly
focused on the practice of indulgences. The church taught that indulgences could be used to escape purgatory.
However, you had to buy these from the church and many people found this to be manipulative. The full, original
title of the 95 Theses is below:

“Out of love and zeal for After reading the title of the original document, what does it seem that Martin
clarifying the truth, these items Luther is prepared to do?
written below will be debated at To try to make people see a different reality about the bible and
Wittenberg. Reverend Father remove the power from the church.
Martin Luther, Master of Arts
and of Sacred Theology and an
official professor at Wittenberg,
will speak in their defense. He
asks this in the matter: That those Do you think Martin Luther knew that this would become such a significant
who are unable to be present to event? Explain.
debate with us in speech should,
though absent from the scene, Because people , specially the kings where tired of the church
treat the matter by coontrolling their thrones.
correspondence. In the Name of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Selling indulgences was considered an old practice by Martin Luther’s time. Popes had been selling
indulgences since 1095 when Pope Urban II encouraged them as a form of penance for soldiers returning
from the crusades. Below is an excerpt from Martin Luther’s letter to the archbishop of Mainz in 1517.

“Spare me, Most Reverend Father in What is the problem Martin Luther sees with the sale of indulgences?
Christ and Most Illustrious Prince, that I, He saw that the indulgences lied about paying to go to the heavens
the dregs of humanity, have so much going to heavean , by marthin was promoted by faith .
boldness that I have dared to think of a
letter to the height of your Sublimity…
Papal indulgences for the building of St.
Peter's are circulating under your most
distinguished name… the unhappy souls
believe that if they have purchased letters
of indulgence they are sure of their
salvation; Why does Martin Luther say he can no longer keep quiet? What is his
reasoning?
For this reason I have no longer been
able to keep quiet about this matter, for it Because we wanted people going to heaven the real way nor
is by no gift of a bishop that man the fake way and jusus said that going to heaven is based on
becomes sure of salvation, since he gains working hard aka faith .
this certainty not even by the "inpoured
grace" of God, but the Apostle bids us
always "work out our own salvation in
fear and trembling," and Peter says, "the
righteous scarcely shall be saved.”
- Martin Luther (1517)
Anne Boleyn was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. She gave
birth to their daughter Elizabeth in 1533. However, Henry VIII had her arrested for high treason in 1536.
After being found guilty at trial, she was beheaded. Modern historians view the charges against her, which
included adultery, incest and plotting to kill the king, as unconvincing. An excerpt of her final letter to Henry
VIII from her cell is below.
What does Anne Boleyn request from Henry VIII?
“You have chosen me from low estate to be your queen To have a trail to accuse the real truth for
and companion, far beyond my desire; if, then, you found people to know what is actually happening .
me worthy of such honor, good your grace, let not any
light fancy or bad counsel of my enemies withdraw your
princely favor from me; neither let that stain - that
unworthy stain - of a disloyal heart towards your good Based on what she said and the results of the trial,
grace ever cast so foul a blot on me, and on the infant what can you infer about her “accusers and judges”?
princess your daughter.
That he wants to take advantage to win something
Try me, good king, but let me have a lawful trial, and let against henry.
not my sworn enemies sit as my accusers and judges.
Yea, let me receive an open trial, for my truth shall fear
no open shame.”
- Anne Boleyn (1536)

In response to the uproar that the 95 Theses caused, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull called the Exsurge Domine
(Latin for 'Arise, O Lord') on June 15, 1520. A papal bull is a public announcement or decision made by the
pope. Below is an excerpt from the document.
With the advice and consent of these our venerable
What does the pope seem to think about the 95
brothers, with mature deliberation on each and every one
Theses?
That he is afraid to actually do this changes for of the above theses, and by the authority of almighty God,
his own good . the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and our own
authority, we condemn, reprobate, and reject completely
each of these theses or errors as either heretical,
scandalous, false, offensive to pious ears or seductive of
simple minds, and against Catholic truth. By listing them,
we decree and declare that all the faithful of both sexes
What does the papal bull say about the teachings,
must regard them as condemned, reprobated, and rejected .
writings, and works of Martin Luther?
. . We restrain all in the virtue of holy obedience and under
the penalty of an automatic major excommunication....
He agrees and wants to make a change in the
religion with Marthin Luther . ...we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely
the books and all the writings and sermons of the said
Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing
the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be
regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected.
We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex,
What should be done if someone finds those works?
They will both be executed or taken to in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties
judge especially Marthin which was into to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise,
religion in europe . print, publish, or defend them. ... Indeed immediately after
the publication of this letter these works, wherever they
may be, shall be sought out carefully by the ordinaries and
others [ecclesiastics and regulars], and under each and
every one of the above penalties shall be burned publicly
and solemnly in the presence of the clerics and people.
 Visual Literacy
Directions: Use the included images to answer each of the questions.

Johannes Gutenberg began publishing the

Bible in large quantities in the 1500s. Less
than 50 copies still exist today. An image of
one page is seen at the left.
Why was it a significant change when
Guttenberg began producing the Bible in
high quantities?
That people started doing their own
version of the bible to continue with the
reformation.

Legend says that Martin Luther marched through

Wittenberg with his grievances, a nail, and a hammer and
nailed the 95 Theses to the church door. However, it
probably wasn’t so dramatic, because church doors acted
like news boards at the time, so it wouldn’t have been
unusual for anything to be nailed to the door.
How does the dramatic legend (and images that support the
drama) support the message of the Reformation?
It shows how Marthin with confidance hammers the
paper making him look like a hero .

If the story never happened, why do you think people made

it up?

Like the russians or greeks they would use real life

senarios to do gods but this time to justify the
reformation .

When Martin Luther was called to the Diet of

Worms in 1521, he was ordered to recant his
beliefs. However, Luther famously refused
and the Edict of Worms was issued to
condemn him as a heretic.
Why was Luther’s refusal to recant his
beliefs significant for the Reformation?

Because people thought he was going to

fight for what is right no matter what and
make the world a better world.