Notes 

Units 3.3: Belief Systems

 

During this era, various belief systems served to both connect and divide populations. One of the most notable events involving a belief system during the Modern period of history includes the Protestant Reformation:

 

• During this time period, the Roman Catholic Church began to face increasing scrutiny as power in Europe began to shift away from feudalism and towards centralized governments. Within the church, internal corruption and the church’s inability to prevent the Bubonic Plague caused the general public to lose faith in its authority. 

• Martin Luther, a German Monk, went on to author the 95 Theses (1517). This was a work of literature challenging the Roman Catholic Church, particularly through its pursuits of indulgences (pay to avoid punishment of sins) and simony (where church officials buy positions). 

• Martin Luther went on to promote the idea of “sola fide” or faith alone, emphasizing on the need for an individual relationship with God. The innovation of the printing press allowed Luther’s ideas to spread throughout Europe. Luther himself underscored the importance of women’s literacy so that the next generation could be taught relevant Bible lessons. Over time, people began to adopt a new branch of Christianity called "Lutheran Christianity". 

 

On the other hand, John Calvin of France went on to author The Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536. This piece of literature emphasized on the idea that specific people (the elect) were destined to one day go to heaven and that these individuals should lead the general public to adopt a sense of plain living. 

• Calvinists, or followers of this branch of Christiainty, went on to consider hard work and prosperity as specific signs of God’s favor. 

 

In England, King Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church and went on to form the Anglican Church. The Catholic Pope had originally refused to allow the King to divorce his wife, causing him to go on and establish his own faith as the head of his church. 

 

In response to these challenges to tradition, the Catholic Church went on to launch the Counter-Reformation to fight the spread of Protestantism (another, distinct branch of the religion). 

• The Jesuits were a specific group of people who went out to execute missionary work throughout Japan, The Spanish Empire and India. Their goal was to spread this traditional faith. 

• The Inquisition was a system to investigate and punish those going against the Catholic Church’s teachings. This was meant to ignite fear and suppress dissent. 

• The Council of Trent was a meeting of Catholic leaders aimed at responding to Protestant and Lutheran criticisms. Here, some of the abuses mentioned in the 95 Theses were addressed and attempted to be remedied. Eventually, this group would publish the Index of Prohibited Books, banning texts that opposed Catholic ideology. 

Religious differences often went on to cause physical conflict throughout Europe. In France, Catholics and the Huguenots (French Calvinists) went on to fight for decades. Henry IV would convert to Catholicism to legitimize and consolidate his power, and initiated the Edict of Nantes in France to promote religious toleration. 

• Louis XIV would go on to revoke this Edict, causing Huguenots to leave France. 

 

The Thirty Years’ War from 1618 to 1648 was a religious conflict that began in the Holy Roman Empire but would continue to spread throughout Europe. The Peace of Westphalia was a peace treaty that would go on to end the European Thirty Years’ War by allowing individual states to choose their dominant religion. 

 

→ Religious divisions occurred beyond the Catholic Church and were often used to legitimize political power. In Russia, Peter the Great would assert his authority over the Eastern Orthodox Church and establish the Holy Synod. He also would raise the age of monkhood to 50 so that young men would be encouraged to serve as soldiers. 

 

In Islam, there was a division between the Sunni and Shi’a branches of the religion (Ottoman vs. Safavid empires). The Ottomans had replaced Byzantine legal systems with shariah law, while the Safavid Empire went on to make Shi’a Islam mandatory, denying Sunni legitimacy. 

 

Under the Mughal Empire, Emperor Akhbar would facilitate religious tolerance between Hindus and Muslims and provide land grants. Guru Nanak introduced Sikhism as a new religion during this time period as well. 

 

Over time, The Scientific Revolution would dictate faith systems:

 

• Empiricism, originally developed by Sir Francis Bacon, would focus on evidence-backed hypotheses over tradition. 

• Sir Issac Newton would publish Principia, demonstrating his laws of motion and gravity to justify world order. 

These would set the grounds for the eventual Enlightenment.