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born to Joanna and Philip. They
name him Charles. To history, he
will be Charles V-greatest of
Habsburg emperors.
Charles is elected king of Ger–
many in 1519, following the death
of his grandfather Maximilian . He
is crowned at Aachen in October
15 20. A t the same time he
assumes the title of Roman
Emperor-elect. But he is not
immediately crowned Holy Ro–
man Emperor. That event will not
come for another decade.
In the person of Charles the
Spanish dominions are united with
the Habsburg possessions in the
Netherlands, Austria and else–
where in Europe. Never had any
monarch so many possessions!
Charles has more than 60 royal
and princely titles, including king
of Germany, archduke of Austria,
duke of Burgundy, king of Castile
and Aragon, king of Hungary-to
name just a few.
Spain is, in itself, an empíre-a
global
empire, with colonial terri–
tories even in the New World. The
Empire of Charles V stretches
from Vienna to Peru!
Charles declares, "In my realm,
the sun never sets." And it is so!
The Habsburgs' holdings consti–
tute the world's first truly great
modern empire. Many observers
begin to believe that the growth of
sovereign nation states might be
halted, and a
universal Christian
empire
achieved in Europe!
But other forces are already at
work that will ultimately thwart
this Habsburg dream.
New Spirit
T he spirit of the Middle Ages has
been one of faith and devotion to
institutions. T he
individual
has not
been considered very important in
the vast scheme of things.
But now a change is in the
wind .
A movement had begun in 14th–
century ltaly known to history as
the
Renaissance
("rebirth").
It
is a
great reawakening of interest in the
literature and philosophy of ancient
Greece and Rome.
lt
is marked by
a flowering of the arts, a turning
toward an appreciation of worldly
things and a lively interest in secu–
lar affairs.
Man is now growing conscious of
January
1984
his own importance. The
present
world, rather than the "next
world," is becoming the chief con–
cero.
The Renaissance brings a new
spirit- a "pagan" spirit, as sorne
contemporary critics describe it. It
is a questioning and critica} spirit, a
spirit of skepticism.
Not surprisingly, this new spirit
spawns a revolt against time-hon–
ored institutions, including the
Church. The Church's ideals no
longer command the same respect
among the population at large.
The personal Jives of the Popes
of this period don't help the situa–
tion . Renaissance Popes such as
Alexander V1 (1492-1503)- form–
erly Rodrigo Borgia of the noted
Borgia family- lead corrupt lives,
neglecting affairs of the Church in
pursuit of personal pleasures.
The critica} spirit of the Renais–
sance spreads from ltaly northward
to the German universities. There,
discontent with ecclesiastical cor–
ruption and immorality grows rap–
idly. And there, early in the 16th
century, religious dissidents finally
find a champion.
Ninet y-flve Theses
In 1511 , a German monk and
educator named Martín Luther
makes a pilgrimage to Rome. He
is appalled at the corruption and
vice he finds so openly practiced
there. He has often heard the pop–
ular proverb,
"If
there is a hell,
Rome is built over it." Now he
believes it.
After bis return to Germany,
Luther is further disturbed by the
practice of
selling
Papal indul–
gences, or pardons for sin. The
profitable selling of induigences
has become big business in many
parts of Europe.
On October 31, 1517, Luther
nails a document to the door of the
court church at Wittenberg, Ger–
many. On it are bis "Ninety-five
Theses" in criticism of selling
Papal indulgences.
The documents are forwarded to
Rome. In June 1520, Pope Leo X
issues a Papal bull criticizing Luth–
er's teachings.
On December 10, 1520, Luther
publicly burns the Papal bull. An
ecclesiastical revolution to be
known as the Protestant Reforma-
tion is now in full swing! It will
spread like wildfire over Germany
and beyond.
Luther is excommunicated in
J anuary 1521. Soon afterward, he
is summoned by Emperor Charles
V, a devout Catholic, to appear for
a hearing befare the Diet (assem–
bly) of Worms, a German city on
the Rhine.
But it is already too late to arrest
the movement. The assembly set–
tles nothing. Luther refuses to
recant- and Charles declares war
on the protestors.
Religious Unity Destroyed
German Protestantism gains rapid
headway. Many German states
sever themselves from the Roman
Catholic Church. In 1531, the
Lutheran princes within Charles'
Empire establish a defensive
alliance known as the Schmalkal–
dic League. A threatened invasion
by the Turks prevents Charles
from taking immediate action
against these "heretic" Luther–
ans.
By 1540, all North Germany is
Lutheran.
Luther has demolished the old
arder. The religious unity of
Europe is destroyed! N ations
begin to go their separate ways.
The Reformation destroys the
meaning of the office of Holy
Roman Emperor. The Emperor
now becomes the head of one par–
ty, the Catholics. Though the out–
ward form of the Holy Roman
Empire will continue for sorne
centuries, it is never the same
again.
The political as well as the spir–
itual muscle of the Papacy is
eroded. To counteract the Protes–
tant Reformation, the Roman
Catholic Church organizes the
"Counter-Reformation." The
Council of Trent ( 1545-63) de–
crees a thorough reform of the
Church and clarifies Catholic doc–
trine. These efforts eliminate
many of the abuses that had trig–
gered the Protestant Reformation,
and revitalize the Church in many
parts of Europe.
But the Church has plummeted
far from the zenith of its power,
when Papal authority was felt and
feared in every country in Europe.
"The wars of religion and the col-
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