Politics Religion and State building (11th – 16th/19th centuries)

Introduction

The religious Reformation is the most important event in 16th century European history: if the notion of reformation is itself very old and though many voices had been raised in the ultimate centuries of the Middle-Ages to urge a root and branch reformation of the Church, in its leadership (hierarchy, papacy) and its membership (the worshipers), the reformation launched by Martin Luther[1] in Germany, by Huldrych Zwingli[2] in Switzerland and by Jean Calvin[3] in Geneva would contribute to redrawing the map of Europe split, as from the middle of the 16th century, into two confessional[4] blocs.

In the context of political doctrines, two foremost figures, those of Luther and Calvin will come under scrutiny, which needs prefacing with three observations:

  • Political thought was not at the heart of the reformers' doctrine in so far as the Reformation is first and foremost an event concerned with theology (the understanding humans form of God, in particular in his action towards humanity), and anthropology (the understanding humans form of humanity, in particular – in this instance – in its relationship to God). This said, the reformers soon realised that they could not circumvent the imbrications of the religious with the political: these fall-outs are the sole object under discussion her

  • Buffeted by events, Luther and Calvin preached and published a good deal that was dictated by circumstances. One must keep in mind that neither was a political thinker, the volume of material dealing with their political thought notwithstanding.

  • Finally, and though that may seem a truism, 16th century Europe belongs in a mental, social and political world where the religious and the political were closely interwoven. It must be noted in particular that none of the criteria leading to a definition of « secularism » was present bar exception: there was no freedom of belief, let alone of worship to be found anywhere; the prince[5] imposed his faith and confined public office to members of his religion; the cult was funded by the Treasury. Thus in most cases – and leaving aside the case of the Jews, which will not be discussed here – each political realm recognised the practice of only one religion as per the famous Latin formula: cujus regio, eius religio.

  1. Martin Luther (1483-1546)

    German theologian, professor and churchman. A member of the Augustinian religious order he rebelled against the Roman Catholic church for essentially theological and mystical reasons, asserting the primacy of Scripture (the Bible) and of faith. The turning point in his revolt is the publication in 1517 of the 95 new “theses” from which the beginning of the Reformation is dated. Luther's main writings were published in 1520 and his theories spread everywhere in Europe but gained a strong foothold mostly in the Holy Roman Empire's territories. His divergence with Rome mostly revolved around the gratuitousness of divine grace and the understanding of the Last Supper. A range of Protestant trends have their roots in his teaching. In 1525, he did not support the Peasant Revolts which drew their inspiration from his views on Christian freedom and he opposed Erasmus' humanism. From 1530 to his death in 1546, Luther was the guide of Protestant Christendom, way beyond the Holy Roman Empire.

  2. Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531)

    Swiss theologian and churchman, active in Zurich

  3. Jean Calvin (1509-1564)

    French theologian and churchman, active mostly in Geneva. Born in Noyon, he read law and the arts in Paris, Orleans and Bourges. He joined the movement of Reformation in 1533 and wrote theological books. He left France for Basel where his Institutes of the Christian Religion were first published. From 1536 to 1538, Calvin, accompanied by William Farel lived in Geneva where they sought to impose a church reorganisation along Reformation principles. Expelled from Geneva in 1538, he settled down in Strasbourg. He was called back to Geneva in 1541 where he settled down for good until his death in May 1564. Born in Northern France he left the country to escape royal persecutions after adopting Protestantism. After settling in Geneva he turned it into a “Protestant Rome” furnishing France and other reformed regions with pastors. He attempted with a degree of success to turn the city into a kind of model of what a Gospel-observant society should look like.

  4. Confessional

    Western Christianity (in its Latin tradition) splintered as from the 16th century into several branches known as confessions: Catholicism (attached to Rome), Protestantism (mostly of Lutheran or Zwinglo-Calvinistic inspiration), Anglicanism (England). The second half of the 16th century is marked by the confessionalization of the European territory.

  5. Prince

    The political or secular or civil power may, according to the lexicon of early Reformation be referred to by the word “prince” (to be understood in the broadest sense of monarch) or “magistrate”.

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AccueilAccueilImprimerImprimer Overall coordination by Dominique Avon, Professor at the Université du Maine (France), Translation by Françoise Pinteaux-Jones Paternité - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de ModificationRéalisé avec Scenari (nouvelle fenêtre)