Post by Alex MilmanNo Protestants of any type, Lutherans or Calvinists.
No English Reformation either (or this may be
allowed because it did not play a significant role
on a continent).
Oh but it did - Protestant England supported the
Protestant Dutch rebels against Spain. Yes, there
were political reasons for this as well, but the
religious element was not insignificant.
Also, the "Auld Alliance" of France and Scotland
withered after Scotland became Protestant.
In any case, the Reformation had multiple roots
and effects.
1) National resentment against ecclesiastical
domination by Rome. This was the primary driver
of the English Reformation, and was important
in Germany and Scandinavia as well.
2) Powerfully argued dissent from Catholic dogma
and practice by the "Reformed" (Calvinist) movement,
which resulted in complete transformation of
religious practice in much of Europe (abolition of
priesthood and episcopacy, vernacular services,
removal of all church art, relics, etc.).
3) Notorious corruption of Roman hierarchy and of
hierarchy, priests, and monasteries generally. This
encouraged breaking with Rome even by theological
moderates, and AIUI to substantial "house-cleaning"
by the Church during the Counter-Reformation.
4) Resentment of financial demands of Rome on the
rest of the Church. This tied into 3) because the
rest of Europe resented paying for the luxuries of
the debauched Curia; and even for genuine religious
works such as St Peter's Cathedral. Leo X was
apparently sincerely devout, but spent lavishly on
St Peter's and patronage of artists, musicians, and
scholars, and other personal pleasures. Thus he
needed money and encouraged the sale of indulgences,
offending Luther. This of course ties into 1) -
princes and ecclesiastical nationalists wanted to
keep the money at home.
ISTM that these forces cannot be contained indefinitely.
If there is no "Reformation" in the 1500s, there will
be other movements in later years. As noted in 3) above,
the Protestant Reformation attack on the Church caused
some house-cleaning within the Church.
Nationalism could lead to multiple breakway national
churches: a Gallican Church in France, for example.
Random knock-on: the Teutonic Order does not secularize,
or does so much later. OTL, the Hochmeister at the time
was a Hohenzollern scion, so Prussia became a Hohenzollern
realm and later was united with Brandenburg. The TO had
earlier chosen a Wettin Hochmeister (who died fairly young,
before the Reformation broke out). They might chose another
Wettin next, or a Wittelsbach, or even a Habsburg,
Another knock-on: the ecclesiastical states of northern
Germany will last longer (AB of Magdeburg, for instance).
--
Nous sommes dans une pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerdés.
--- General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot at Sedan, 1870.