16th Century Religious Developments in Europe
Paradoxically, the Averroist interpretation of Catholicism was in a worldly position of relative orthodoxy during most of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th. The centralized Roman Catholic network served to distribute ideas of openness and tolerance after the center of gravity shifted to Avignon and the Catalunyan sphere of influence. A counter-movement was not long in waiting: there is little chance for an open society to remain homogenous in doctrinal interpretation. This text seeks to shed light on the emergence of the phenomenon called 'Protestantism'.
Averroism depended strongly on the former Catholic infrastructure and the worldly backing of the Iberian nation, at this time referred to as Catalunya. With the waning of Catalunyan temporal power due to lost wars, lost territory and lackluster economic performance in the middle 16th century came a concomitant loss of spiritual credibility: texts were no longer produced more or less exclusively in Catalunyan-dominated territory. With the invention of the printing press any moderately affluent German with a crazy idea could spread that idea with relative ease. Before, mass-production of texts called for central, economically intensive production facilities. Cataluyan theologists initially missed the printing press trend, causing breakaway Christian cults to proliferate wildly. The origin of those cults lay with the dissatisfaction of what some perceived as a corruption of the old strictly monotheistic Christian ideals. Different interpretations of what those uncorrupted ideals amounted to arose, varying from ultra-orthodox literalists to semi-humanists. They were termed 'Protestants' as a group. Generally speaking, Protestants place less emphasis on societal acceptance and more on personal (Christian) faith, textual interpretations of the (translated) Bible and close-knit local communities, where Averroist Catholicism is more involved with mutual religious understanding, acceptance of other beliefs and a common interpretation of the divine.
In essence, the majority of Europe has fragmented in different interpretations of the Christian faith: a broad swathe of land stretching from Britain to Greece has split up in Protestant sectarianism, often with government backing. England, Bavaria and Croatia, major powers in their own right, have embraced the decentralized nature of Protestantism and are strengthening their grip on their people as a result. Experts expect religious tensions in the American territories recently acquired by the English: the Protestant interpretation is less accepting of native beliefs than the Averroist one.
Another crucial factor in the emergence of Protestantism is the change in Averroist theology as a result of the Age of Discovery. As the main power of Averroism has traditionally been in Iberia, proceedings in Catalunyan society have had a profound impact on Averroism as a whole. Most of the 15th century Catalunyan society revolved around the discovery of several New Worlds. The pantheistic religions of the Americas and the native polytheism of the Kongolese in particular deserve mention. With the incorporation of many native Americans in Catalunyan society, it was only a matter of time before Averroism included pantheistic ideas in its theology. Many throughout Europe not as invested in the New World as Catalunya was rejected this new direction, so different from the Abrahamic ideal of one god. Reconciling the Arab God, the Jewish God and the Christian God was one thing, but accepting the divinity of everything was a step too far for many. The Kongolese case deserves special mention, as here it was Averroism that influenced a nation before those religions influenced Averroism back. In essence, many Averroist ideas returned to the fold after African reappraisal and application to Polytheistic principles. This caused a strong academic current, but had relatively little societal impact.
Finally, a word on the last major European denomination: The Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox are another major religious bloc in Europe, named thusly after the Great Schism of 1054. Orthodoxy can (and does!) claim the most direct descent from the early days of Christianity. They are most prominently present in Slavic Europe, with the backing of the powerful state of Novgorod, recently reaffirmed in its legitimacy by the reconquest and conversion of Constantinople. Interestingly, Novgorod as a whole is part of the now-Protestant Holy Roman Empire. This is sure to cause religious tensions if the relationship between Croatia and Russia ever cools down.
Paradoxically, the Averroist interpretation of Catholicism was in a worldly position of relative orthodoxy during most of the 15th century and the first half of the 16th. The centralized Roman Catholic network served to distribute ideas of openness and tolerance after the center of gravity shifted to Avignon and the Catalunyan sphere of influence. A counter-movement was not long in waiting: there is little chance for an open society to remain homogenous in doctrinal interpretation. This text seeks to shed light on the emergence of the phenomenon called 'Protestantism'.
Averroism depended strongly on the former Catholic infrastructure and the worldly backing of the Iberian nation, at this time referred to as Catalunya. With the waning of Catalunyan temporal power due to lost wars, lost territory and lackluster economic performance in the middle 16th century came a concomitant loss of spiritual credibility: texts were no longer produced more or less exclusively in Catalunyan-dominated territory. With the invention of the printing press any moderately affluent German with a crazy idea could spread that idea with relative ease. Before, mass-production of texts called for central, economically intensive production facilities. Cataluyan theologists initially missed the printing press trend, causing breakaway Christian cults to proliferate wildly. The origin of those cults lay with the dissatisfaction of what some perceived as a corruption of the old strictly monotheistic Christian ideals. Different interpretations of what those uncorrupted ideals amounted to arose, varying from ultra-orthodox literalists to semi-humanists. They were termed 'Protestants' as a group. Generally speaking, Protestants place less emphasis on societal acceptance and more on personal (Christian) faith, textual interpretations of the (translated) Bible and close-knit local communities, where Averroist Catholicism is more involved with mutual religious understanding, acceptance of other beliefs and a common interpretation of the divine.
In essence, the majority of Europe has fragmented in different interpretations of the Christian faith: a broad swathe of land stretching from Britain to Greece has split up in Protestant sectarianism, often with government backing. England, Bavaria and Croatia, major powers in their own right, have embraced the decentralized nature of Protestantism and are strengthening their grip on their people as a result. Experts expect religious tensions in the American territories recently acquired by the English: the Protestant interpretation is less accepting of native beliefs than the Averroist one.
Another crucial factor in the emergence of Protestantism is the change in Averroist theology as a result of the Age of Discovery. As the main power of Averroism has traditionally been in Iberia, proceedings in Catalunyan society have had a profound impact on Averroism as a whole. Most of the 15th century Catalunyan society revolved around the discovery of several New Worlds. The pantheistic religions of the Americas and the native polytheism of the Kongolese in particular deserve mention. With the incorporation of many native Americans in Catalunyan society, it was only a matter of time before Averroism included pantheistic ideas in its theology. Many throughout Europe not as invested in the New World as Catalunya was rejected this new direction, so different from the Abrahamic ideal of one god. Reconciling the Arab God, the Jewish God and the Christian God was one thing, but accepting the divinity of everything was a step too far for many. The Kongolese case deserves special mention, as here it was Averroism that influenced a nation before those religions influenced Averroism back. In essence, many Averroist ideas returned to the fold after African reappraisal and application to Polytheistic principles. This caused a strong academic current, but had relatively little societal impact.
Finally, a word on the last major European denomination: The Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox are another major religious bloc in Europe, named thusly after the Great Schism of 1054. Orthodoxy can (and does!) claim the most direct descent from the early days of Christianity. They are most prominently present in Slavic Europe, with the backing of the powerful state of Novgorod, recently reaffirmed in its legitimacy by the reconquest and conversion of Constantinople. Interestingly, Novgorod as a whole is part of the now-Protestant Holy Roman Empire. This is sure to cause religious tensions if the relationship between Croatia and Russia ever cools down.
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