Chapter 43 through Chapter 45 Summary and Analysis

In "The Reformation", the Church begins to sell "indulgences" which, for a fee, promise a reduced time in Purgatory. Martin Luther, a priest, posts a sheet with ninety-five statements against the selling of indulgences to the door of a church. Luther is excommunicated, but many begin to follow his ideas of reforming the Church. The Reformation then becomes chaotic as people rebel, with some becoming protesters of Catholicism, or Protestants. In "Religious Warfare", both Protestants and Catholics begin to revolt against other faiths. Galileo and Servetus are punished, imprisoned, and killed as are many other scientists. When all of King Phillip's Dutch subjects denounce Catholicism, Philip sends the duke of Alba, who begins to lay siege to Dutch cities. The Protestants defeat the army. The seven northern Provinces meet at the Estates General in 1581 and declare their...