Heading into the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church was undoubtedly the dominating religious power Europe. But this dominance throughout Europe would not extend to the next one hundred years. This was the time before the great Protestant Reformation begun by theologian Martin Luther that was to challenge the Catholic Church not only in its practices, hierarchy, and Biblical interpretation, but also maybe most importantly, challenge its widespread following in Europe. Historian Hans Hillerbrand, in his book The Protestant Reformation, comments that by the end of the sixteenth century "one fact was beyond dispute: Western Christendom was tragically divided...into no less than five religious factions" (Introduction, xviii). How this transformation came to be is the subject of much debate and historical interpretation. It is argued here that the rapid spread of the rebellion towards the Catholic Church known as Protestantism can be attributed to four main tenets: pre-e!

xisting displeasures with the Catholic Church, the accepting and all class incorporation of the ideologies of the Protestant Reformation, effective propaganda used by Luther and other reformers, and po

Koch, Carl. A Popular History of the Catholic Church. Saint Mary's Press, Minesota: 1997.

mers could not have made the impact they did" (Introduction, xxiv). Not only were there many of these forms of propaganda available to the masses, but the way in which they were written appealed to many people. These booklets could be read quickly, were inexpensive, and were written in the common man's language. This was different than any other religious writings people had ever seen, as most other works were in Latin. This new type of language was an attempt to appeal to the everyday citizen, to speak the message of the Reformation directly to the masses unlike any religious writings ever had. "They abandoned the traditional forms of theological exposition and replaced them with a fresh style...An eminent characteristic of Protestant literature was its simplicity; profound religious thoughts were expressed simply, though with zeal and determination" (Hillerbrand, xxvi). Not only did they have a message that the people wanted to hear, but reformers produced much literature t!

Chadwick, Owen. The Reformation. Penguin Putnam Inc, New York: 1964.

n by the lower classes in which they possessed much influence.

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Approximate Word count = 1679
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)