Revolts against the authority of the Pope also took place in other parts of Europe, specially Switzerland, France, Holland and England. In Swit­zerland the revolt against the Pope was led by Ulrich Zwingli. He began to preach Lutherian doctrine of ‘justification by faith’ and challenged the authority of the old church.

Under his leadership almost half of the Swiss cantons broke away from the old church. After the death of Zwingli in the civil war, the Protestant movements was carried on by the French scholar John Calvin. Calvin challenged the authority of church in France and earned the wrath of church which declared him a heretic.

He was, there­fore, obliged to leave France and moved to Switzerland where he con­tinued the work of Zwingli. In 1536 Calin wrote The Institutes of the Chris­tian Religion, which is regarded as one of the most influential books ever written. This book is a systematic treatise on religion and politics and is based on the basic principle of doctrine of justification by faith. Calvin opposed all luxury, dancing and feasting on lavish scale and wanted the churches to be very plain.

He not only opposed various rituals but also did not favour statutes of saints, incense and alter candles and even chants an organ music in the churches. In short, he laid emphasis on simple wor­ship. The preaching of Calvin came to be known as Calvinism and soon spread to other countries of Europe like France, the Netherland, and England. In different countries of Europe the followers of Calvin came to be designated as differently. In France they were designated as Huguenots; in Scotland they came to be known as Presbyterians and in England as Puritans.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

In England seeds of Protestant revolt were sown by John Wycliffe, who is often described as the Morning Star of Reformation. Wycliffe openly revolted against the Pope and the Church. He asserted that Pope was not the representative of Christ on this earth but rather anti-Christ. He opposed pilgrimages to holy places and asserted that sacraments ad­ministered by evil and crooked priests could not be effective.

He insisted that the individual should consider Bible as the sole guide. Wycliffe trans­lated Bible into English so that even ordinary people could read it. How­ever, the movement launched by Wycliffe suffered a set back after he was ex-communicated and died. Some of the English kings like Henry IV, Henry V in fact tried to supress the followers of Wycliffe. But it was under Henry VIII, that the reformation in England gained momentum.

Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife Catherine and marry Anne Boleyn, but the Pope refused to grant him necessary permission. There­fore, Henry VIII decided to defy the authority of the Pope. He summoned a Reformation Parliament (1529-36) and got the Act o< Supremacy passed.

This Act declared the King of England as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and ended all connections with the Roman Church. The monasteries were suppressed and the practice of sending ‘annates’ (or annual payments) to Rome was stopped. Thus the reforma­tion in England was more political than religious because Henry VIII himself continued to remain Catholic.

ADVERTISEMENTS:

Queen Mary actually tried to restore Catholicism in England. She even resorted to persecution and many Englishmen fled to Geneva where they were influenced by the ideas of Calvin. These Englishmen returned to England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth and formed a separate group known as the Puritans.

Thus it was only during the reign of Queen Elizabeth that Protestantism was firmly established in England. It has been contended by certain scholars that if Pope Clement VII had conceded Henry’s demand for a divorce, there would have been no reformation in England. However, it is difficult to accept this view.

It is true that if the Pope had conceded Henry’s demand for a divorce, papal authority in England would have lasted a few years longer. However, there is no doubt that sooner or later, and probably, before the close of the sixteenth century, the will of the nation would have been potent to limit or terminate the power of the Papacy over the Church of England.