The Second Millenium

[Vince53]

1510 is now onstage.

England has a serious problem: 18 year old King Henry VIII MUST produce a male heir, and the sooner the better. England cannot afford another civil war if the royal line is not assured. His wfe, Catherine of Aragon, gives birth to a stillborn girl.

Portugal conquers Goa, a small kingdom on India's west coast. In 1961, India will invade and take it back.

 

[Vince53]

For people in Heaven, was it 1511?

Malacca was a Moslem island kingdom in south-east Asia. It included a narrow strait through which most trade between Europe and China sailed. Knowing how vitally important this strait was, Moslem nations had helped fortify Malacca, and it boasted about 3,000 cannon. But Portugal sweeps in quickly, massacres the Chinese merchants they find, and now possesses a powerful colony that they will hold until 1957.

England and Spain sign a treaty against France.

Spain conquers Cuba and invades southern Mexico.

 

[Vince53]

It's 1512 now.

The eight year long War of the Holy League begins. Organized by Pope Julius II, the war will eventually involve most European powers, who would constantly switch sides. It started out as an alliance against Venice, which eventually joined the League, and then they turned against France (which was one of the founding members of the League). Eventually, the League drove France out of Italy, and then broke apart as the winners fought over their captured territory.

In the League's first year, France wins two major victories in Italy, while suffering a major naval defeat from England.

Selim the Grim becomes ruler of the Ottoman Empire. He will literally triple the size of the Empire by conquering Egypt and all its subject states, making Turkey the center of Islamic strength. He dies after eight years on the throne.

After earning a doctorate in theology, Martin Luther joins the faculty at the University of Wittenburg. The university still exists, although in 1817 it merged with the University of Halle. Today it has over 20,000 students.

 

[Vince53]

The Catholic Church would be better off if 1513 had never occurred.

Leo X begins his incredibly inept eight year reign as Pope. He spends and borrows heavily, devastating Catholic finances in a costly war to put his nephew on the throne of a minor kingdom. But he figures out a way to raise money: sell indulgences!

He needed money to finance the rebuilding of Saint Peter's Basilica, and granting indulgences to major donors worked. An indulgence is NOT "time out of purgatory." It's a credit for days of doing penance. For instance, a 300-day indulgence did you as much good as doing 300 days of penance, but did not meant that you got out 300 days early.

He honestly did not recognise the massive, growing resentment against Church corruption and wealth, and he regarded Martin Luther's complaints as a squabble among monks. His legendary Papal Bull, excommunicating Luther and making resolution of the problem impossible, is actually a poorly-written document written by a man who did not grasp what was going on.

Leo was a blatant homosexual. He also enjoyed being in parades that included Hanno, a white elephant. He sold cardinal's offices and other church offices as well.
He did negotiate some diplomatic peaces, granted many rights to Jews (including the right to have a Hebrew printing press in Rome), and furthered higher education.

 

[Vince53]

We return to 1513.

Ponce de Leon was a ruthless murderer who had been made governor of Puerto Rico. He brutally mistreated the native Indians, enslaving them and putting down an occasional revolt. He was granted large amounts of land, which he stocked with Indian slaves.

His captives told him about a large island to the north that was full of gold. They also described a healthy tea that the natives there brewed, which got mistranslated into waters that restored your youth. Leon briefly noted the youth-restoring waters in his journal but didn't take it too seriously. He then set sail to conquer this island.

On March 27, 1513, Ponce de Leon discovered the United States. And all this wicked man is remembered for is his search for the Fountain of Youth.

It's a rough year for France. They are driven out of Milan and are also beaten by the English. France then makes peace with both England and Spain.

Vasco de Balboa would conquer Indians and then befriend them, making valuable alliances for Spain. He invades Panama and becomes the first European to "discover" the Pacific Ocean.

 

[Vince53]

1514 just sailed into port.

England launches the greatest warship in the world, nicknamed "Great Harry." Sporting over 180 guns, this top-heavy monstrosity never saw combat. Decades later, she disappeared from history, with no record of what the English did to her.

Having been pounded by nearly everyone, France makes peace with the Holy Roman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire begins 41 years of war with Persia by winning a smashing victory that expands them heavily into the mid-East. But the Persians spend the next four decades successfully resisting most Ottoman expansión, and they finally make peace.

 

[Vince53]

It will never be 1515 again.

The city of Havana is founded. With 2.1 million inhabitants, the capital of Cuba is the largest city in the Caribbean.

France finally defeats someone. They defeat a Swiss army in Italy, but only because Venice shows up to help them. France then regains control of Milan.

Bartholomew de las Casas is a strange figure. The first appointed "Protector of the Indians," he is given land and Indian slaves. He chronicles the atrocities committed by Spain against the Indians, and finally frees his slaves and demands that African Blacks be imported instead. He is a leading figure in establishing the African slave trade in the Americas, but later repudiates all slavery. Later, he becomes a Dominican friar and fails to peacefully convince the Indians to submit to Spanish rule.

 

[Vince53]

1516

Charles V begins his forty year rule as King of Spain. In three more years, he will become ruler of the Holy Roman Empire. As ruler of much of Europe and the Americas, he waged successful but expensive wars against France and Turkey, actually forcing the two to form an alliance against him.

Charles successfully battled the Protestant Reformation, keeping it out of Spain and limiting its expansión in Germany. He conquered both the Aztecs and the Incas, giving Spain a stable American empire. Eventually, he voluntarily abdicated and retired.

The rapidly-expanding Ottoman Empire invades Syria.

A meteorite shatters as it falls into China, scattering debris. In the 1950's, the Chinese Communist government orders the pieces to be retrieved for its metal industry. But it contains too much nickel, and the pieces are still for sale.

 

[Vince53]

1517

Ottoman Turks capture the Egyptian Sultanate, including Egypt's vassal states.

The Catholic Church ends its last Church Council before the Protestant Reformation. The Council legalized pawn shops, called for war with Turkey, and forbad books to be printed without permission from the local bishop.

Portuguese merchants establish a base in Hong Kong.

Sweating Sickness breaks out at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities. The disease usually killed within a few hours. It would spread rapidly and then disappear, and scientists still cannot explain it. After 1578, it disappeared forever.

October 31--On a drizzly, rainy day, Martin Luther quietly walks out to the door of the castle church and posts 95 theses against the sale of indulgences. And then he quietly goes back inside. And thus begins the Protestant Reformation.

 

[Vince53]

I asked this question in grade school, high school, and college: Why didn't the Catholic Church move decisively to crush the Protestant Reformation while it was still small?

The overwhelming answer is that the Catholic Church didn't realize how serious it was.

1)It was regarded as a squabble among monks, and actually, that is correct. By posting his 95 theses, Luther meant to challenge others to debate--nothing more. He had no intention of leaving the Catholic Church, starting the Lutheran religión, or establishing Protestantism. No one, including Luther himself, realized what a powerful figure Luther was.

2) The wealthy leadership of the Church honestly did not realize how much the common people resented the wealth and corruption they saw. They were Catholic under the death penalty, and they didn't have any other choices anyway.

3) The Church did not realize how deeply Europe's nobility despised the Church's corruption. An uneasy equality had settled over Europe, with the wealthiest nations forced to give more money to the Church. Overall, the system was equal, and it worked. But local rulers in the crumbling Holy Roman Empire saw their chance to seize the vast wealth of the Church as its authority weakened.

4) Nobody yet realized the full effects of discovering America. Spain and Portugal had rapidly become Europe's wealthiest nations, but they were in a race to conquer the Indians; they quickly killed off the Reformation in their own countries, but used most of their new power against Indians, not Protestants.

5) Turkey was expanding into Africa, threatening Catholicism's southern flank. Resources were needed to deal with Moslems and couldn't be spared for the Protestants.

You need to remember that the Protestant Reformation was more than a religious event. It was also a political, financial, military, and social event, and many leaders were not Godly at all. Within a few years, the Catholic Church would find itself attacked on several fronts.

 

[YESLORDIWILL]

 

[Vince53]

Brethren, YESLORDIWILL posted such a well-written, courteous article that I wanted to let it be today's article long enough for others to read it. I want to remind folks that anyone is welcome to post on this fórum, as long as they keep it courteous. It is the post just before this one.

The full English translation of the 95 Theses (Luther wrote them in Latin) can be found at Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences - Wikisource, the free online library

 

[Vince53]

Please join us for a friendly discussion of the 95 Theses at http://www.christianforums.com/t7824739/

And now, on to 1518!

Three months after they are written, Luther's 95 Theses Against the Sale of indulgences are translated from Latin into German and are widely spread throughout Germany. The printing press made it posible to spread the information faster than the Catholic Church could stop it. An angry German archbishop sends a copy to Rome.

Venus passes in front of the Sun, although only a few scientists know about it.

A dancing plague breaks out in the Holy Roman Empire. Hundreds of people dance non-stop for days, often dying, and then the plague ends. Doctors are still unable to explain it.

Over in America, fire ants go on a rampage through Hispanola, destroying much of the harvest.

 

[Vince53]

And now it is time for 1519.

Captain Cortes leads a Spanish invasión of Mexico. Their goal is to conquer the Aztec Empire. Montezuma had been a courageous leader of the Aztecs when they were attacking farmers who didn't have an army. But faced with a well-trained, well-armed Spanish army, he tries to make peace. With his superior numbers, he probably could have defeated them, but would probably have been killed while leading the Aztecs.

Having language difficulties, Cortes appreciates a captured Indian maiden who speaks two Indian languages fluently. She becomes his mistress and bears him a son--the first Mexican.

Martin Luther has a 23 day long debate with John Eck. A brilliant debater, theologian, and economist, and with a good knowledge of science, Eck had been friends with Luther. Both men were reasonable enough to concede defeat on certain points. Luther acknowledged that he had to reject the authority of both Popes and Church Councils in order to hold his beliefs. The judges ruled that it was a tie, and supporters of each man still declare that he won.

China easily defeats a one-month-long rebellion.

A massive epidemic of European diseases breaks out in America, eventually wiping out much of the Indian population.

 

[Vince53]

We return to 1519.

John Tetzel dies. A high-ranking villain according to both sides of the Reformation, Tetzel is notorious for selling indulgences so successfully that he provoked Luther into posting his 95 Theses. Surprisingly, his incredible career as an indulgence salesman lasted only three years, although he had previously preached indulgences without selling them.

A Dominican monk and a mildly-successful preacher, Tetzel was authorized by the Archbishop of Mainz to sell indulgences. Half the money went to finance Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the other half went to paying off the Archbishop's debts from purchasing his office. Tetzel was not the only indulgence seller, but he was the most successful, and he is the one who provoked Luther. Tetzel is the subject of two of the 95 Theses.

Contradictory records make it difficult to tell if John Tetzel was authorized to sell indulgences without repentance. Although Tetzel had struggled to earn his doctorate in theology, he must have known that he was going against orthodox Catholic doctrine. It appears that since he was bringing in a lot of money, the Church didn't regulate him.

A high-ranking Church official met with both Luther and Tetzel separately, and had almost resolved the conflict when Luther began publicly preaching against the sale of indulgences.

And then the official tore into Tetzel, accusing him of fraud and immorality. The Church and the public turned against him, as would the history books. Shattered emotionally, Tetzel retired to a monastery and soon died. Today, no historian believes that the charges are true.

On his deathbed, Tetzel received a kindly letter from Luther, in which Luther declared his belief that Tetzel was innocent of all charges, and that Tetzel was not to blame for the indulgence scandal.

 

[Vince53]

1520 just drove in.

Spanish troops massacre many Aztec nobles during an Aztec ceremony, and the Aztecs rebel. Spanish occupiers of the Aztec capital arrest Montezuma, and the Aztecs declare his brother Cuitláhuac their new King. He drives the Spanish out of the capital, but dies from smallpox eighty days after taking the throne. Smallpox is now raging among the Aztecs, killing off many of their soldiers.

Descending Eagle becomes Aztec King. After a courageous but hopeless resistance, he surrenders next year, spends four years as a puppet King under the Spanish, and is then executed.

Pope Leo X unsuccessfully threatens Martin Luther with excommunication if he does not recant.

After conquering Sweden, Denmark executes many of Sweden's nobles.

Portuguese sailors round the southern tip of South America and reach the Pacific Ocean.

And Martin Luther publicly burns the papal bull threatening him with excommunication. The Protestant Reformation has now passed the point of no return, and reconciliation is impossible. Modern scholars, including Catholics, agree that the bull is poorly written. It was so unpopular that it received widespread rejection throughout Germany even before Luther took action. But Luther's growing attacks on Catholicism might have been a factor in provoking the Pope.

 

[Vince53]

There's more storm than one, in 1521!

on January 3, Martin Luther is excommunicated. He is tried later this year at the Diet of Worms and condemned, but he goes into hiding

One reason for the failure of the Catholic Church to stop the Protestant Reformation was "The Italian Wars." Venice and France allied against the Papal States, the Holy Roman Empire, and England as they fought for control of the Italian Peninsula. Eventually, the Ottoman Turks entered the war, invading Hungary.
Lasting off and on for three and a half decades, the Wars achieved nothing except to give the Protestants some freedom from military attack.

Spain completes its conquest of the Aztec Empire of Mexico.

Turkey captures Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

 

[Vince53]

1522 has something new.

Adrian VI begins his 21 month reign as Pope. Born in the Netherlands, he will be the last non-Italian Pope for 455 years.

A hard-working diplomat to Spain, who had actually served as co-regent for a while, Adrian was absent from Rome when he was elected as a compromise candidate.
But as Pope, he was an unsuccessful diplomat. He failed to resolve any crises, and his attempts to curb Church abuses were successfully defeated by cardinals who were making momey from them. And this is another reason why the Church couldn't crush the Protestant Reformation while it was still small--the Church had been so corrupt for so long that most high positions were held by corrupt men

In his private instructions to his ambassador at the Diet of Nuremburg, he admitted that the Catholic Church was partly to blame for the growing (but still small) Lutheran movement. But he demanded that Luther be punished, making it impossible for his ambassador to settle the problem.

 

[Vince53]

We return to 1522. If you're French, you'll wish we didn't.

France and Venice lose 3,000 killed in a battle with Spanish and Papal armies in Italy. The losers are forced to give up Milan, a major city in northern Italy.

After declaring war, England invades France.

Suleiman the Magnificent is in the second year of his 46 year reign over the Ottoman Turks. He captures the island of Rhodes which, incredibly, is still a Crusader stronghold in the eastern Mediterranean.

Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines, but what is left of his fleet returns to Spain after sailing around the world. This voyage proved that the world was much bigger than Columbus had believed; showed that it is possible to get around the Americas (although it isn't profitable), and proved that South America is not an extensión of Asia.

 

[Vince53]

For the third and last time, we return to 1522.

After years of robbing the countryside, German knights unite in a rebellion. Their rapid defeat spells the virtual end of knighthood in central Europe.

Martin Luther finishes his translation of the New Testament into German. His decisión to add the word "alone" to "the just shall live by faith" provided plenty of ammunition to the Catholic Church, even today. No other translation, in any language, has added the word "alone," which does not appear in any ancient manuscript.

Erasmus completes his third edition of the Greek Received Text. Of the approximately 5,000 Greek manuscripts, about 4,975 (99.5%) are either the Received Text, the Received Text with spelling errors, or the Received Text using more modern Greek words.

And how are the Lutherans doing? Most of them are Catholic. Seriously. They want to reform abuses without leaving the Church. Germany is part of the Holy Roman Empire, but it is divided into many small kingdoms with little central government. The Germans have virtually destroyed their own knights this year, have their French enemies on their western flank, the French in northern Italy threatening their southern flank, and the Ottoman Turks slowly approaching from the east. Germany has more serious problems than a bunch of peaceful Reformers.