RELG 330 - History of Christianity
Course Notes
Chapter 26
Page 365 - ecumenical councils - the textbook refers to the Council of Trent and Vatican II as "ecumenical councils" - although these Councils are called ecumenical by the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and most Protestant Churches do not recognize any Councils after the Second Council of Nicaea in AD 787 as being Ecumenical.
Page 377 - the meeting at Regensburg - see page 363. The Colloquy of Regensburg, also known as the Conference of Ratisbon, was a meeting of Roman Catholic and Lutheran leaders, called in 1541 by the Emperor Charles V, to try to work out a compromise between the Roman Catholics and the Lutherans. Three Roman Catholic theologians and three Lutheran theologians were chosen to take part in the discussions. The Lutherans included Philipp Melanchthon and Martin Bucer, but not Martin Luther. Although the delegates to the meeting reached compromise agreements on many points, they were not accepted by Martin Luther, or by many other Lutheran and Roman Catholic leaders.
Page 378 - the French Wars of Relgion, also known as the Huguenot Wars, were a series of wars between the Roman Catholics and the Huguenots (French Protestants) during the sixteenth century. It is estimated that about three million people died, making these wars the second deadliest European religious war. The French Wars of Religion were concluded by the Protestant Henry of Navarre, heir to the French throne, converting to Roman Catholicism and becoming Henry IV of France in 1596, and issuing the Edict of Nantes to grant freedom of worship to the Huguenots
Page 379 - the Dutch War for Independence (1560-1618) was against the Holy Roman Emperors, who were also Kings of Spain and tried to enforce Roman Catholicism in their lands. Holland won the War in 1618 and from then on was no longer a part of the Spanish Empire (Roman Catholic), but had Protestant leaders who were mainly Calvinist, but who usually allowed other denominations to live there also.
Page 379 - the Thirty Years' War was fought over much of what is now Germany, between 1618 and 1648.
About 8 million people died, making the Thirty Years' War the deadliest European War in history. About 30% of the population of Germany was killed, and the whole of Europe was devastated. Although the war started with a dispute between Protestants and Roman Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire, and was supposedly about religion, it was used as an excuse for invasion and land-grab by various countries. The (Lutheran) King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden invaded Protestant northern Germany, sacked and burned towns, and devastated the region (and was killed in battle).
The Roman Catholic Cardinal Richlieu, the leading Minister of State in France, supported Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden against the Roman Catholic Hapsburgs of Spain.
The Ottoman Sultan (a Muslim) offered to help the Calvinist Prince of Transylvania against Hungary.
The Thirty Years' War started in Bohemia in 1618. The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II claimed the throne of Bohemia, but the Bohemian nobility were mainly members of the Ultraquist Church (the Hussites, followers of Jan Hus). They rebelled, and elected the Calvinist Prince Friedrch V of the Palatinate to be King of Bohemia. Friedrich was politically inept, and tried to force Calvinistic views on the Ultraquist Church. The result was another rebellion, involving Ultraquists against Calvinists. The Hapsburg Ferdinand II brought in an army and defeated both Friedrich and the Ultraquists, and enforced Roman Catholicism on Bohemia. The Ultraquist (Hussite) Church was annihilated.
Friedrich V was married to Elizabeth, the daughter of James I of England (an Anglican), and he expected that his father-in-law would support him. Instead, James distanced himself from the War. In 1624 James signed a treaty with France whereby his son Charles was to marry the Roman Catholic princess Henrietta Maria of France.
The War escalated, as German Lutherans and Calvinists and also French Roman Catholics were alarmed by the increasing power of the Hapsburg Roman Catholic Empire. The War spread to the Palatinate (on the border between Germany and France), Austria, Saxony (northern Germany), and Bavaria (southern Germany). During the War towns were burnt or blown up, peasants and farmers were slaughtered, the lands were pillaged by marauding soldiers and freebooters, and Europe was devastated economically.
The War was ended at last when the Peace of Westphalia was concluded in 1648, between the Hapsburg Empire (Germany), and France and Sweden. Calvinism was recognized along with Lutheranism. The principle that a Prince should decide the religion of his territory was re-affirmed, but Princes were forbidden to change their religion. France emerged as a leading European power, and the Holy Roman Empire of the Hapsburgs began to disintegrate.
Copyright © 2005 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved
