Imagine the Middle Ages were 85% of the population was illiterate. Access to books was limited, and access to schools was even more limited. Where do you turn for information and cultural beliefs. In Europe that was The Church. More specifically the Catholic Church guided by the pope.
Then the world changes. First tragedy, with The Black Plague killing off over 1/3 of the population. Church leaders and local clergy were unable to explain why people were sick. Could it be that God was angry? Was it a twist of fate? No one could explain the despair. The Plague devastated the people of Europe, but it also started to put a crack in the foundation of The Church.
Then France squabbles with church leaders over taxes. Low and behold, French cardinals elect their own pope and now there are two popes running around. What were people supposed to think?
Finally, Gutenberg introduces The Bible to tens of thousands of people. For the first time, common people could access The Bible and start questioning scripture.
These events lead to a Europe with not one church, but several different churches all with a common belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ, but with different interpretations on how to worship. This event shifts power away from the pope and into the hands of monarchs.
The next 2 1/2 weeks we will learn about reformers and how their challenges to church authority changed the course of history throughout the western world.
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