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What Caused The Reformation Dbq Essay

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The Reformation was a split in the Catholic Church during the fifteen-hundred. This schism had major economic, political, and religious implications and caused the creation of Protestant Christianity. It began when Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Theses, where he argued for reform of the Catholic Church. One of the issues that bothered Luther the most, was the sale of indulgences. Church officials sold forgiveness for people's’ sins. While this was just the beginning, there were many factors which led to the beginning of the Reformation. In Document J, titled “The Reformation,” Leonard W. Cowie lists three reasons for the Reformation. First, there was a widespread growth of education. Before the sixteenth century, literacy was uncommon. …show more content…

During the sixteenth century, towns were experiencing rapid growth. Some towns even doubled in size. This was caused by the new money economy and new ideas. Towns were also concerned with communications, and therefore they were also concerned with expanding education. So, they increased their amount of universities from twenty to seventy. This expansion could not have been done without monarchs, princes, and merchants. The printing press, which Luther deemed “a gift from god,” spread ideas rapidly. Luther was able to spread his ideas throughout Europe within a few months. Not only was the invention of the printing press great, there were also advancements in weaponry and mining. Inventions for mining caused a mining boom. The mining boom resulted in a lot of silver. A lot of silver led to the production of coins which gave people a money system. The boom resulted in a growth of banking. It also resulted in the wealth of kings and princes increasing. However, the increase in silver and coins caused inflation. The spread of literacy and the invention of printing resulted in individuality and the formation of the individual consciousness. This gave rise to new political factions, while challenging old ones, and new

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