Reformation and its Effect on English Literature
The Reformation was a great 16th-century religious revolution in the Christian Church, which had political, economic and social effects. It ended the ecclesiastical supremacy of the pope, led to the separation of many European nations from the Church of Rome and became the basis for the founding of Protestantism, one of the three major branches of Christianity. Over the centuries, the church had become deeply involved in the political life of Western Europe. It ruled the people through fear exploiting their beliefs, encouraging them towards pilgrimages, the buying of indulgences and other religious relics to attain salvation. The church's increasing power and wealth through such buses, combined with its political manipulations was among the reasons that led to the impulses to secession supplied by the likes of Martin Luther and John Calvin. The trouble began with the arrival of the new pope, Leo X. A spendthrift by nature, he desired to beautify the Vatican City and rebuild St. Paul's. Having exhausted the full coffers which he had received he began to pressurize his priests and cardinals to gather funds from their areas. This invoked protests from secular rulers who did not like the idea of so much money leaving their count
Henry VIII vastly contributed to the Reformation; each of his marriage was a catalyst in its arrival, because through each, the King's power rose over the Church. Buchanan a humanist wrote mostly in Latin and was a great champion of the religious reformation. Everyone had to swear his or her alliance to the King. He also did not believe in prayers for the dead, purgatory or papal supremacy. A number of patriotic people began to write chronicles in English prose, expanding them to include day-to-day events of the government as well as history. They felt that man's aim was to attain happiness and knowledge, not spend his life trying to cleanse himself of sin. Henry then married Lady Jane Seymour. He continued to write reflecting that sin was not wrong as it brought one closer to God through the act of repentance. He endorsed the Book of Common Prayers, a book of hymns in praise of God that anyone can use. This had a deep impact; half the monasteries emptied, religious schools were dismissed, pictures of Christ were burnt. Cranmer was very loyal to his ruler, the Church and the Scripture. Showing a lot of promise he had been sent to the University of Erfert. " This upset Leo X and he issued an ultimatum to Luther to present himself in Rome within 15 days or be excommunicated. This included Edward Hall (1548) and Raphael Holinshed whose 'chronicles' in simple prose are considered important used even by Shakespeare and Spencer.
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