The Twelve Articles 1525
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What caused the protestant reformation?
I’m doing a DBQ (document based question) and this question is tough.
Question: Duscuss to what extent the religious schism during the sixteenth century was symptomatic of political, social, and economic problems.
Let me know if you know any information.
The documents are:
Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation Concerning the Reform of the Christian Estate (Martin Luther, 1520)
Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of the Peasants (Martin Luther, 1525)
The Twelve Articles (manifesto of German peasants in Swabia, 1524)
The Act of Supremacy (English Parliment 1534)
Ooh! I did a DBQ on this for AP European History a few weeks ago! This exact question actually.
In Germany, states broke away from Charles V’s Catholic rule to accept the Protestand religion. The princes realized they could have freedom from the Emperor and could get church lands and money. [First document you listed I think]. Then mention the Peace of Augsburg and the princes get to decide the religion of their little territory.
The peasants rebelled – this showed the distress of the lower classes when they adopted the Protestant faith [expand on this a bit]. The church took over their common lands and they got mad [12 Articles] and seeked help from Luther but he wouldn’t give it cause he was against rebellion [Document 2 you have listed]. Nobility eventually crushed revolt…many peasants died.
In england, Henry VIII’s greed led to England’s breaking off from papal rule [he wanted to get divorced from Catherine and marry...someone] and he made himself the authority over the Church of England [Act of Supremacy]. With his new power, Henry confiscated church monasteries and used the money and land for himself. You have to tie this in more with the english political issue though.
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