Reformation Timeline
(condensed from
the 45 page version!)
Please read through this and
use different colors to highlight or circle references to the following
people. Martin Luther, John Calvin,
Henry VIII, any Anabaptist, Charles V.
You will need five colors in all.
The dates and events you absolutely must know are in bold.
1440 Lorenzo de Valla
published a work which invalidated the Donation of
1455, March Gutenberg had printed approximately
180 copies of the Bible in
1505, June Martin Luther encountered a
thunderstorm, made vow for safety ("Help me, St. Anne! I will become a
monk!"), and came through without harm; he wrote his father that the
thunderstorm and vow were the will of God
1508 Julius pressured Michelangelo
to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel;
1509 Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are married.
1514 Erasmus published
another edition of The Praise of Folly.
1515 Thomas Wolsey,
Archbishop of York, became Lord Chancellor of England and a Cardinal.
1515 Francois I was King of
France to 1547.
1515 2 years after becoming
pope, Leo X had spent all the money he had inherited from Julius II.
1516 The indulgence for
the rebuilding of St. Peter's,
1517 Tetzel traveled near
1517, October 31 Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on
the church door in
1517, November The Pope issued a statement suggesting war on the Turks with
80,000 men.
1518, November 9 A new papal
decree on indulgences was drawn up, including a portion which stated the pope's
right to issue indulgences.
1519 Tetzel died.
1519, June 28 Charles I unanimously
elected Holy Roman Emperor, becomes Charles V;
1520, August Luther's "Address
to the Christian Nobility" appears; 4000 copies sold in 2 weeks; it
was written in German; Luther dedicated a summary to
Emperor Charles V at the request of
1521 Henry VIII was named “Defender
of the Faith” by Pope Leo X for his opposition to Luther.
1521, January 18 Charles
receives a formal bull of excommunication against Martin Luther, Decet Romanum Pontificem, with instructions to read it at the Diet and
that any territory, city, or church that protected Luther would also be under
the ban
1521, January 27 Diet of
Worms officially opened.
1521, April 17 Luther came
before the Diet at 4 in the afternoon; present were Charles, the seven
electors, spanish troops, princes, bishops, etc. in
the midst of which was a table loaded with books; he was asked if he had
written these books and if he would recant.
1521, April 18 Luther was not called before the Diet
until night; he stated that he could not recant and then added "Here I
stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen."
1522, March 6 Eating of
the wurst during Lent by Leo Jud, Heinrich Aberli, Bartlime Pur. Probably ate also: George Binder, Hans Utinger, Hans Hottinger, Wolf Ininger, Lorenz Hochrutiner, and
Hans Ochenfuss. Zwingli was there but did not eat.
1522, September Luther's
translation of the New Testament into German appeared.
1524 Peasants' War, to 1526.
1524
1524, December Jean Le Clerc, a wool-carder of Meaux,
tore a copy of a papal bull banning Luther from the cathedral door and affixed
instead a declaration that the Pope was Antichrist.
1525, May 29 Eberli Bolt, a preacher, became the first known Anabaptist
martyr when he was burned at the stake in Schwyz, Swit., by the Catholic
Church.
1525, June 13 Luther and
Katherine von Bora (Katie) are married.
1526, March 7 A new law was
passed giving a sentence of death to any Anabaptist who baptized another.
1527 The Imperial forces sack
1527, May 20 Anabaptist Sattler
was executed by burning after being tortured.
1527, May 28 Sattler's wife
was drowned in the
1527, August The Plague comes
to Wittenberg; Luther and Katie stayed and cared for the sick; during this time
Luther pens "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God," both the words and
the music.
1529 1531 It
is from this period that T.H.L. Parker dates Calvin's conversion to
Protestantism
1529 The Turks attempt
unsuccessfully to lay siege to
1529 Thomas Wolsey is
dismissed by Henry VIII because he was not able to arrange the Pope’s approval
to Henry’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon.
1529 Thomas More is appointed Lord Chancellor.
1530, June 25 The Confession of Augsburg (first formal listing of
Protestant beliefs) was presented to Charles V; although mainly the work of
Melanchthon, Luther gave his approval.
1530, October The Protestant princes agree to resist the Catholics if they
should attack.
1530, December The Protestant forces began meetings at Schmalkalden which would
eventually lead to an alliance aganist the Catholic
regions and the emperor.
1531 A brief outline of
Copernicus's theory of a sun-centered universe was published.
1531 The Confession of
1532 More resigns over the
issue of Henry VIII’s divorce.
1532, August Thomas Cranmer
became Archbishop of Canterbury.
1533 Henry VIII marries
Anne Boleyn.
1533 Pope Clement VII
excommunicates Henry VIII.
1534 The Act of Succession is passed; everyone must
swear allegiance to Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.
1534
1534 Ignatius Loyola laid the
foundations of the Society of Jesus when he and 6 others vowed poverty,
chastity, and a pilgrimmage to
1534 The Act of Supremacy made Henry VIII head of
1534 Luther's complete German
Bible appeared.
1534 Paul III, Pope
from 1534-1549.
1534, October 13 Paul III
elevated to Pope; he would have 3 sons and a daughter
1535 More is executed
for failing to swear the Oath of Supremacy.
1536 Henry beheads Anne
Boleyn and marries Jane Seymour.
1536 Cromwell directs the
suppression of monasteries and confiscates their land
1536 The English Ten Articles –defining the Anglican
Church beliefs - are adopted.
1536, February 28 Led by
Calvin; The Council of Two Hundred
in Geneva issued a series of prohibitions forbidding blasphemy, oaths, card
playing, and strictly regulated the sale of intoxicants and the reception of
strangers into taverns.
1536, John Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion"
is published
1536, In
1537 The future Edward VI is
born to Henry and Jane Seymour; she dies after giving birth
1539, June The
English Six Articles (against Lutheranism) are adopted.
1540 Cromwell is beheaded for
not signing the Act of Supremacy (treason)
1541 John Knox brings the
Reformation to
1542 Paul III reestablished
the Inquisition.
1544 Charles V was able to
break up the Schmalkaldic League.
1545 The Council of
1546, January 26 At a dinner
party at his own home after drinking wine Pierre Ameaux
discussed his dislike of Calvin calling him an evil man and preacher of false
doctrine. One of the guests reported the speech to the Little Council and Ameaux was imprisoned.
1546, April 8 After Calvin's
appeal to the Councils of Geneva, Pierre Ameaux was sentanced to make a tour of the city, bareheadeded,
torch in hand, and on his knees beg mercy of God and the government.
1549 The Book of Common Prayer in
1558 Charles V died at his monestary.
1564
William Shakespeare born.
1564
Galileo Galilei born.
1564 Michelangelo died.
1564, January 26 The decrees
of the Council of