Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598

What Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 covers

Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 is examined in Unit 1, the period study — one of eight options, of which a student takes one. It covers the Catholic Church in the early sixteenth century, exploration, the New World and its impact on Europe, the growing power of the nation states, Renaissance culture and humanism, Luther and the challenge to Rome, the spread of Lutheranism: printing, towns and social pressures, from the Schmalkaldic League to the Peace of Augsburg, the Counter-Reformation and the Council of Trent, Francis I and the French monarchy, Habsburg-Valois rivalry, Charles V and the government of the Holy Roman Empire, Philip II: finance, government and foreign policy, Suleiman the Magnificent and Ottoman expansion and the Christian reaction and the battle of Lepanto.

The 14 subtopics

Each one has its own page. WJEC AS History students sit this topic in the first year.

• The Catholic Church in the early sixteenth centuryRecall questions on the abuses of office that critics attacked, what an indulgence claimed to offer, the vigour of lay devotion, earlier heretics, and why criticism had not yet produced a schism.Open →
• Exploration, the New World and its impact on EuropeQuinto real, price revolution and three crops brought from the Americas to Europe.Open →
• The growing power of the nation statesRecall questions on standing armies and the taxation that paid for them, the growth of royal bureaucracy, control of the Church within the realm, and how dynastic marriage assembled territory.Open →
• Renaissance culture and humanismHumanism in this period, humanist slogan ad fontes and lorenzo Valla's most damaging piece of scholarship.Open →
• Luther and the challenge to RomeLuther's occupation when he attacked indulgences, luther's doctrine of justification and priesthood of all believers.Open →
• The spread of Lutheranism: printing, towns and social pressuresRecall questions on the press and the vernacular pamphlet, why the free cities proved receptive, what princes gained by conversion, and the risings that alarmed the reformers.Open →
• From the Schmalkaldic League to the Peace of AugsburgSchmalkaldic League and ecclesiastical reservation.Open →
• The Counter-Reformation and the Council of TrentTerms Catholic Reformation and Counter-Reformation, two new religious orders founded before the Council of Trent and roman Inquisition.Open →
• Francis I and the French monarchyAbsolute monarchy as Francis I practised it, three ordinary sources of royal revenue in France and trésor de l'Épargne.Open →
• Habsburg-Valois rivalryUnderlying cause of Habsburg-Valois rivalry, league of Cognac and sack of Rome.Open →
• Charles V and the government of the Holy Roman EmpireRecall questions on the extent of the inheritance, the difficulty of governing it, the imperial diet and the electors, and how war on two frontiers shaped his religious policy.Open →
• Philip II: finance, government and foreign policyConciliar system Philip used and three important sources of Philip's revenue.Open →
• Suleiman the Magnificent and Ottoman expansionRecall questions on the advance up the Danube, the siege that halted it, the Mediterranean war and its corsairs, and how the Ottoman threat affected politics inside the Empire.Open →
• The Christian reaction and the battle of LepantoScale of the Ottoman defeat at Lepanto and lepanto's real significance.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Diet of Worms vs Diet of Speyer

  Diet of Worms: the imperial assembly of 1521 at which Luther refused to recant before Charles V and was declared an outlaw. Diet of Speyer: the imperial assembly of 1529 whose reimposition of the ban on Luther provoked the protestation from which Protestants take their name.

• Peace of Passau vs Peace of Augsburg

  Peace of Passau: the agreement of 1552 conceding freedom of worship to Lutherans until a permanent settlement, and releasing the imprisoned princes. Peace of Augsburg: the settlement of 1555 by which each prince chose the religion of his territory and dissenting subjects had the right to emigrate, with Calvinism excluded.

• Treaty of Madrid vs Treaty of Cambrai

  Treaty of Madrid: the terms of 1526 by which a captive Francis I surrendered Burgundy and his Italian claims to secure his release, and which he repudiated as extorted the moment he was free. Treaty of Cambrai: the negotiated settlement of 1529, the Ladies' Peace, in which France abandoned her claims in Italy and Flanders and paid a large ransom but kept Burgundy.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What claim to authority did the papacy make in the early sixteenth century?

   Model answer

   That the pope was the successor of St Peter and head of the universal Church on earth, with authority over both clergy and secular rulers in spiritual matters.

2. 2

   Why is Julius II remembered as the warrior pope?

   Model answer

   Because he personally led armies to recover and enlarge the Papal States, and behaved more like an Italian prince than a pastor.

3. 3

   Which pope was reigning when Luther published his theses, and what was his reputation?

   Model answer

   Leo X, a Medici better known for patronage of artists, hunting and expensive building than for spiritual leadership.

4. 4

   Define simony.

   Model answer

   The buying or selling of Church offices or spiritual benefits.

5. 5

   Define pluralism and absenteeism.

   Model answer

   Pluralism is holding more than one Church office at a time; absenteeism is drawing the income of an office without residing in it.

6. 6

   What was an indulgence supposed to do?

   Model answer

   Remit the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven, drawing on the Church's treasury of merit.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 revision questions

Is Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 examined at AS in WJEC History?

Yes. It sits in AS Unit 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.

What does Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 cover in WJEC AS-Level History?

14 subtopics: the catholic church in the early sixteenth century, exploration, the new world and its impact on europe, the growing power of the nation states, renaissance culture and humanism, luther and the challenge to rome, the spread of lutheranism: printing, towns and social pressures, from the schmalkaldic league to the peace of augsburg, the counter-reformation and the council of trent, francis i and the french monarchy, habsburg-valois rivalry, charles v and the government of the holy roman empire, philip ii: finance, government and foreign policy, suleiman the magnificent and ottoman expansion and the christian reaction and the battle of lepanto. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Political and Religious Change in Europe c.1500-1598 organised?

By the WJEC 601-5817-7 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.