5 Steps to a 5TM AP European History

CHAPTER

1

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The Reformation and

the Fracturing of Christianity

IN THIS CHAPTER

Summary: In the sixteenth century, the preoccupation of the Roman Church

with worldly matters and its failure to meet the needs of an increasingly liter-

ate population led to challenges to its doctrine and authority. This chapter

describes the rise of Protestant churches in northern Europe and the Catholic

Church’s response in the Counter-Reformation.

Key Terms:

✪^ Papal States A kingdom in central Italy, ruled directly by the pope until Ital-

ian unification (1861–1870).

✪^ Indulgences Certificates of absolution sold by the church forgiving people of

their sins, sometimes even before they committed them, in return for a mon-

etary contribution. The selling of indulgences was one of the practices that

Martin Luther objected to.

✪^ Millenarianism The belief that one is living in the last days of the world and

that the judgment day is at hand (originally tied to the belief that the end

would come in the year AD 1000).

✪^ Salvation by Faith Alone One of the central tenets of Martin Luther’s theol-

ogy: the belief that salvation is a gift from God given to all who possess true

faith.

KEY IDEA

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