Light

Protestant Reformation

Definition

The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church.

Analogy

Think of the Protestant Reformation like a software update on your phone. Just as an update aims to fix bugs and improve functionality, the Reformation sought to correct what Martin Luther and others saw as errors and corruption in the Catholic Church.

Related terms

Martin Luther: A German monk who became one of the most famous critics of the Roman Catholic Chruch. In 1517, he wrote 95 thesis, or statements of belief attacking church practices.

Indulgences: Selling these was a common practice by catholic church which allowed a remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. They were criticized especially by those who believed that salvation should be attained through faith alone.

Council of Trent: This was one of the Roman Catholic Church's most important ecumenical councils. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as the embodiment of Counter-Reformation.