Unit 2 Vocabulary

Convents

Buildings where Catholic nuns live in common.

monasteries

Buildings where Catholic monks live in common.

Christian Humanism

Renaissance intellectual movement that focused on trying to return the

Church to earlier and more authentic practice of the faith.

advocate

To argue in support of something.

clergy

The formal leaders of any given religion. Examples of clergy would be

priests, bishops, ministers, rabbis, and imams.

layman

A member of a specific religion who is NOT a part of the clergy.

philology

The study of the historical development and origin of language.

Low Countries

Collective term to refer to Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

patron

Someone who supports the arts or a specific artist.

simony

The act of buying or selling a religious office, such as the position of

bishop.

nepotism

The practice of people in a position of power or influence showing

undue favoritism to family or friends.

pluralism

The practice of certain Church leaders holding more than one religious

office at the same time.

veneration

The action of showing great respect to a created person, such as the

Virgin Mary or a saint.

relic

An ancient item that is associated with a holy figure, such as Christ or

a saint.

indulgences

Actions that a Catholic can undertake to earn forgiveness of sins; in

the 1400’s the Church had begun to sell indulgences angering many.

“Faith and Works”

Catholic teaching that one’s salvation is dependent on both faith and

good works.

“Faith alone, Grace alone, Scripture alone”

Luther’s argument that one’s salvation is dependent on faith only (not

good works), on God’s mercy, and on what is directly written in the

Bible.

excommunication

The action, taken by a religious group, that denies someone the right

to participate in the church community; to eject someone from a

religion.

Diet of Worms

1521 heresy trial of Martin Luther. He was judged by HRE Charles V.

heresy

To hold positions that are contrary to the accepted teachings of a

religious community.

subject

A person who lives in a nation ruled by a crowned head of state (king,

queen, emperor, etc.).

recant

To assert that one no longer accepts beliefs that one once supported;

to take back something once proclaimed.

papal / papacy

Of, or pertaining to the office of the Pope of the Catholic Church.

celibacy

The act of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations.

vernacular

Any language spoken by the general population of a region, as

opposed to Latin, the language of the Church and education.

Scandinavia

The vast region of Northern Europe that includes the nations of

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Protestant

Any person who identifies as a Christian, but who is not a part of the

Catholic or Orthodox Christian faiths.

social uprising

A revolt by a specific segment of the population against the ruling

authorities.

status quo

The existing state of affairs, especially regarding religion and politics.

secular

Anything that is not religious in its character or purpose.

temporal

Relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular.

transubstantiation

Catholic teaching that during the mass (religious service) the

communion bread and wine are literally transformed into the actual

body and blood of Christ.

consubstantiation

Protestant teaching that during the communion bread and wine are

only symbolic representations of the actual body and blood of Christ.

predestination

The Calvinist teaching that God has already determined who is saved

and who is damned, even before we are born.

Elect

Calvin’s term for those who God had selected for salvation.

seminaries

Schools where clergy are educated in the beliefs of a specific religion.

Huguenots

French Protestants who followed the teachings of John Calvin.

Icon

Any representation or image of a sacred figure, such as Christ or a

saint.

theocracy

A government dominated by religious leaders.

iconoclastic

The action of attacking or destroying an icon.

Anabaptists

So called “radical” Protestants; the name derives from their practice of

only baptizing adults.

HRE

In context, it can mean either Holy Roman Empire or Holy Roman

Emperor.

Peace of Augsburg

1555 internal agreement in the Holy Roman Empire that allowed the

ruler of each state in the Empire to select the religion for the people

who live in their state. It briefly ended warfare between Catholics and

Protestants in the Empire.

abdicate

The action of a monarch in surrendering their claim to the throne.

Bourbons

The family that held the throne of France from 1589 until the French

Revolution.

politiques

Term for those nobles and royal figures who supported religious

toleration as a means of restoring domestic peace and strengthening

the nation.

Edict of Nantes

1598 royal decree issued by King Henry IV of France that granted

religious toleration and control of 200 walled fortified cities to that

nation’s Protestant minority.

Inquisition

Term for religious courts set up by Catholic authorities in Spain to root

out anyone suspected of practicing the Jewish or Muslim religions.

The courts could use torture and death to enforce their power.

annulment

A legal procedure that cancels a marriage as if it had never taken

place.

sacked

A military action in which a victorious army is permitted to rape,

murder, and destroy a conquered city.

illegitimate

Term formerly used to identify a child born to parents who were not

married.

Act of Supremacy

1534 law passed by the English Parliament naming the king (Henry

VIII) the head of the Church of England. The Act also made it

treasonous for anyone to refuse to accept the new law.

regent

Title for a person selected to hold power when a monarch is either too

young or too ill to rule on their own.

Anglican Church

A synonym for the Church of England, the Protestant faith first

established in the reign of King Henry VIII.

Act of Religious Settlement

1559 law passed by the English Parliament that made the Anglican

Church the official state church of England and recognized that there

were other faiths in the nation.

Spanish Armada

A massive fleet of over 130 Spanish warships that was sent against

England in 1588. The fleet suffered heavy losses and was a major

disaster for Spain.

Council of Trent

A landmark meeting of Catholic Church leaders, held between 1546 –

1563 for the purpose of developing a response to the Protestant

Reformation.

standardize

To make something uniform, the same.

dogma

The official teachings, beliefs, and practices of a religion.

Index

First compiled at the Council of Trent, this was a list of books that

Catholics were prohibited to read. The Index was abolished in 1966.

Jesuits

A synonym for the Society a Jesus, an order of well-educated Catholic

priests founded by a Spanish priest, Ignatius of Loyola, in 1546.

Baroque

A style of European art, architecture, and music of the 17 th and 18 th

centuries characterized by ornate details and emotional subjects.

Mannerism

A European art movement associated with the late-Renaissance

period of the 16 th century and noted for its sophistication and artificial

style.

Defenestration of Prague

1618 event that triggered the destructive Thirty Years’ War. Two

representatives of the Holy Roman Emperor were tossed from a high

window by Bohemian Calvinist officials.