The Impact of the Protestant Reformation on The Holy Roman E

The oldest of the Christian churches, the Roman Catholic Church has a very long history in Germany and remains one of the largest religions in the German speaking world. In Austria for example, 98% of the population professes to be Roman Catholic. Catholicism is a more ritualistic, traditional form of Christianity than most other denominations. The German people’s first loyalty was usually to their families and then, perhaps, to their parish church. Local com

During the Reformation national languages and literature were greatly advanced by the wide dissemination of religious literature written in the languages of the people, rather than in Latin. Popular education was also stimulated through the new schools founded by Colet in England, Calvin in Geneva and the Protestant princes in Germany. Religion became less the province of a highly privileged clergy and more a direct expression of the beliefs of the people. Religious intolerance, however, raged unabated and all the sects continued to persecute one another for at least a century.

In spite of religious controversies the Reformation is a period of economic revolution, as mercantilism and commercial capitalism gains strength. Science and mathematics come to influence nearly every facet of life. What is particularly important about this intellectual movement of the 1600’s was how interest in the world came to have a value in and of itself - apart from how it might help us in our relationship with God. Not that this implied a diminished regard for God, it’s just that a new mindset was growing up. Shakespeare’s dramas hold public attention as do Moliere’s and in the arts northern realism competes with the southern baroque for attention. In politics the Dutch and English retain constitutional, representative governments and hold fast to their civil liberties.

16th century Europe bears the imprint of the Protestant Reformation. Italy, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, the south of Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland and parts of the Balkans in eastern Europe continue to be predominantly Catholic. The rest, Scandinavia, England Scotland, Switzerland, the north and east of Germany and parts of Eastern Europe largely remained Protestant.

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