1. Reformers (especially Martin Luther) wanted to change many practices of
the church. They wanted to get rid of the selling of Indulgences.
Indulgences were basically like "get out of jail free cards" for people's sins, but they were certainly not free. People thought that if they paid money to priests and stuff then they'd be forgiven of there sins. So, people believed that they would be forgiven if they bought indulgences. Obviously, this was a terrible thing that was practiced in the church and Martin Luther, along with his followers, wanted to end it. Another thing that the reformers
wanted to change was the practice of Simony, which was the buying or
selling of ecclesiastical privileges, for example pardons or benefices. The
reformers wanted to change these practices in the church because they
did not believe that they were pleasing God. The church was corrupted,
and the reformers wanted to change that.
2. In the 12th century, Francis of Assisi, along with others, began questioning some of the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. In the 1400s, Girolamo Savonarola brought the pagan practices and abuses of power to everyone's attention. The actual split occurred when Luther nailed his 95 theses to the wall of the church. This is how the split of Christianity
into Catholicism and Protestantism came about.
3. The Counter-Reformation was the Roman Catholic Church's attempt to
stop the chaos and the spreading of Protestantism. Three ways they tried
to put an end to it are: a) Pope Paul holds the Council of Trent, which
re-affirmed catholic teachings. b) Ignatius of Loyola creates order of
monks dedicated to the pope. c) Pope Paul IV issued an index of banned
books to prevent "good Catholics" from reading "bad books". These
are just a few examples, but you'll want to research some of these
on your own.
4. The reformation led to political conflict and warfare in the 1500's.
As a result of the reformation, new ideals, religions, and worldviews
were brought to life. People began to question authority and started to
think for themselves. Everyone had their own opinions and beliefs,
and this caused much conflict. Protestantism, Calvinism, and other
relgious beliefs were created through the Reformation. Wars were also
waged as a result of the reformation. These included the Thirty Year's
War, The Revolt of the Peasants, and other political/warfare commotions.
I hope this helped!
