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==What was the Reformation==

The Reformation is the schism that divided the Roman Catholic Church and ended the old unity of Christendom. The origins of the Reformation were in an attempt to reform the Church, there had been many attempts in the past to reform the Church but they had all failed. By the early sixteenth century there was a growing crescendo of calls for the reform of the Church and for an end to the immorality and corruption of the clergy<ref> Payton Jr. James R. Getting the Reformation Wrong: Correcting Some Misunderstandings (IVP Academic, 2010), p. 78</ref> . The Reformation was not an attempt to divide the Roman Catholic Church but it was an effort to reform it. The failure of the Catholic Church to reform and its attempts to suppress the Reformers meant that it drove many to establish their own churches. The Reformation was an attempt to return to the original teachings and values of the early or ‘Apostolic’ Church<ref> Payton, p. 113</ref>. It claimed that only the bible could teach and instruct men about the Word of God and had little regard for the received wisdom and authority. Anything that was not in the bible was not to be regarded as the Word of God and should be rejected. The Reformation placed more emphasis on the individual and in the words of Luther, people could not be saved by good works or sacrament but by ‘faith alone’ <ref> Payton, p. 118</ref>. This meant that the reformers rejected much of the traditional teachings of the Church. This resulted in at first a theological dispute between the reformers and the Church, especially in Germany, that later led to a schism in the Catholic Church and the formation of separate Protestant Churches. The causes of the Reformation were manifold but the Renaissance and the Humanist movement were crucial and indeed decisive <ref>Patrick, James. Renaissance and Reformation (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2007), p. 113</ref>.

[[File: NR 2.jpg|thumbnail|200px|Sir Thomas More, Great English Humanists]].jpg

==The Renaissance and Religion==

The Renaissance is often seen as a secular and even pagan movement that was in many ways anti-Christian. This was certainly the case in Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, here the humanists were particularly worldly and had little interest in the Church<ref> Patrick, p 115</ref>. Several early Italian humanists, such as Petrarch sought to reform the Church, but his successors were largely secular in outlook and in their concerns. Many humanist were interested in reforming the Church, but in the main the Church and religion was not a major preoccupation of the Italian humanists. However, there were many Renaissances and the movement took many forms in different countries<ref> Payton, p. 45</ref>. The ideas of the Italian Renaissance found their way to the North of Europe at a time when there was a receptive audience for them. The ideas of the Renaissance and the works of classical writers were transmitted throughout northern Europe by the new printing press. This led to the Northern Renaissance this is the term given to the cultural flowering, north of the Alps, in German-speaking countries, France, England and elsewhere. The Northern Renaissance was a unique event and although influenced by the Italian Renaissance was different in some crucial regards. <ref> Patrick, p. 123</ref> . It also was interested in the ancient past and believed that it offered an alternative view of what life could be and could even provide practical guidance as to how people should live and organize their societies. However, the Northern Europe was much more religious in its concerns than the Italian Renaissance <ref> Chipps Smith, Jeffrey. The Northern Renaissance. Phaidon Press, 2004), p. 167</ref>. The Northern Humanists made the reform of the Church their chief preoccupation. Many German, English and other Northern Humanists saw no contradictions between Christianity and the study of ancient cultures and believed that they could be reconciled<ref> Chipps, p 119</ref>. The religious character of the Renaissance north of the Alp was due in part to the continuing influence of the Church, unlike in Italy, where its, was in decline. Despite the often deplorable state of the Church the general population and even the elite remained very religious. The demand for the reform of the Church was very popular and was a particular preoccupation of the elite. The desire for Church reform can be seen in the works of major Northern Renaissance figures such as Thomas More or Rabelais, who satirised the abuses in the monasteries in particular<ref> Patrick, p. 145</ref>. The Northern Humanists inspired many people to become more strident in their demands for reforms and the end of abuses such as simony and clerical immorality. The works of Erasmus were particularly important in this regard. In his much admired and widely read book ‘In Praise of Folly’ he lampooned and ridiculed corrupt clerics and immoral monks<ref> O'Neill, J, ed. The Renaissance in the North. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987), p. 5</ref>. The attacks of the Northern humanists on the Church did much to encourage others to see it in the new light and they became less deferential to the clergy and this was to lead many of them to support the Reformers when they attempted to end the corruption in the Church <ref>Collinson, Patrick. The Reformation: A History (Longman, London, 2006), p.87</ref>. Previously, many people believed that the Church was not capable of reforming itself and simply accepted it. The humanists believed in reasons and the possibility of progress in all aspects of human life. They argued that what was happening at present was not fated to be and could be improved and changed, which was contrary to the medieval view of an unchanging and fixed order. This belief in the possibility of change inspired many people to seek real and meaningful changes in the church and when they failed to secure these, they sought to create alternative churches<ref> Collinson, p. 56</ref>.