The Kulturkampf and Home Rule for Ireland

             "What was the Kulturkampf?"



The Kulturnkampf was a word in German that meant "culture struggle". It referred to a struggle having to do with German power in regards to control over the Catholic church. This included main figures such as Bismark and the Pope. Bismark placed laws of discrimination on the Catholics, and it was not uncommon for Catholics to be arrested, imprisoned or exiled, and for monks and nuns to flat out leave.

Eventually the old pope died, and a new pope who was more willing to negotiate with Bismark came to power. Bismark then sought to bring back the relationship that was once held with the Catholic church. The Kulterkampf was thus erased until not a remnant remained.




"What arguments does Gladstone make in favor of Home Rule for Ireland?"




William Gladstone made several arguments in favor of Home Rule for Ireland. A few of his arguments were that he believed Home Rule would make the Irish economy better, save money for England, and that it was morally right. He also did not approve of violent, revolutionary tactics.

He was ultimately unsuccessful in winning through his arguments

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Mercantilism, Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the War of Spanish Succession

     "What were the key ideas of mercantilism?"        

The key ideas of mercantilism were basically the simple ideas of most board games. One loses, and the other wins. This was perhaps the most revealing trait of mercantilism. It was the opposite of the free-market economy. In a free market economy you are free to buy and sell as you see fit. In mercantilism this is all regulated by the government.

Under mercantilism, governments would try to limit who you would buy from and who you would sell to. We saw governments regulating imports and exports and also telling people what they could and couldn't sell. These were the key ideas of mercantilism.




"How was the revocation of the Edict of Nantes justified in the document you read?"


In the document I read, they justified the revocation in some quite intriguing ways. One of these points in the document I read said something along the lines of that they should obliterate the confusion and evils that the progression of Protestant religion had caused to occur in the kingdom.

The document noted that many of the Protestants had converted to Catholicism, so they thought that they didn't really have any reason to keep the Edict of Nantes around. These are the main ways that the revocation was justified.



"What was at stake in the War of Spanish Succession?"


As you can probably guess the succession to the Spanish crown was at stake. Leopold I and Louis XIV were the two main contending parties in trying to get their "chosen" heir on the throne. The concern was that if a central power gained control of Spain, they would have far two much power in the hands of that monarch. In the end, the Spanish provinces were split up to make peace after the thirteen years of fighting.

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Luther's Thoughts on Pope Leo X, and His Knowledge of the Indulgence Salesmen's Words

"Do you think that Luther really believed that Pope Leo X did not know what the indulgence salesmen were saying?"


As to this topic, I have two main hypotheses.  The first is that he honestly thought he was defending the pope by saying that the pope didn't know what the indulgence salesmen were saying.  The second is that he simply hoped that he was correct in assuming as much.

Truthfully, I am unsure as to what Luther thought at this time in my study.  I will need to dive further into this topic in the future, and I highly suggest that you do the same.

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Sacraments, Indulgences, and the Great Schism

"What was the Great Schism?  What factors brought it on?"



The Great Schism was a split between the Catholics in the west and the Orthodox Christians in the east.  The Orthodox Christians and the Catholics had different views on who had authority.  One thought that the pope in Rome should have religious authority, whereas one thought that the church in Constantinople should have the authority.

Those in the west and those in the east also had different ways of worship, spoke different languages, etc..  These differences only made the rift forming between them even larger.

Another big problem occurred in 1054 when some of the deceased pope's legates excommunicated a man named Michael Cerularius.  In the end, the churches in the east and in the west ultimately split, with only a small few wishing to rejoin.




"What are the sacraments?"



The sacraments are seven religious rituals of the Catholic church.  Baptism ("Christian rite of admission and adoption") (This practice generally includes water.), Confirmation ("sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit"), Holy Communion ("a gift of God made effectual by the preaching of the Word and the response of faith"), Penance (the confession of sins to a priest in order to receive forgiveness), Matrimony (I think you know this one.), Holy Orders ("the sacrament or rite of ordination as a member of the Christian clergy"), and Anointing of the Sick ("the sacramental anointing of the ill or infirm with blessed oil") are what these seven sacraments are called.  Each one of these plays an influential role in the lives of Catholics, and all have their place in history.



"What is an indulgence?"



Despite popular belief, an indulgence is not the buying of having your sins forgiven.  An indulgence is used when someone is attempting to remove their temporal punishment.  You see, in Catholicism there is both eternal and temporal punishment.  Eternal punishment is canceled out by the sacrament of Penance.  In other words, you are no longer in danger of being sent to Hell upon death.  You are however left with the temporal punishment which can be shortened or altogether removed by the use of indulgences.  Indulgences can also be used to shorten or eliminate a person's time in purgatory (a place between Heaven which you are sent to after death if you have any temporal punishment left to make up for).

 Indulgences are received when you do a worthy deed.  They do not require a monetary sum, nor are you "buying" the forgiveness of your sins.  Your sins are already forgiven through Penance, so why would you pay to have them forgiven when they already are?

Anyways, I hope this helps you to understand indulgences a little more.


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