- Liturgy -

When Martin Luther presented his 95 theses in Wittenberg in October 1517, he ignited the religious discontent that had been building in Europe for decades. Luther's critiques rested on his belief in sola fida, or salvation by faith alone; sola scriptura, believe in the Bible as the only authority; and the priesthood of all believers, the idea that everyday Christians had direct access to God and did not require a mediator like a priest. These principles denied the need for sacraments, priests, popes, and methods of salvation taught by the Catholic Church. This resulted in the birth of Protestantism.

In England, the development of Protestantism can be seen in the creation and adoption of the Book of Common Prayer. This English liturgy was to be used by all churches in the country. First published in 1549, it was revised in 1552 and again in 1559 (see the 1600 edition displayed). Written primarily by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, much of the Book of Common Prayer was an English translation of older Latin liturgies from Catholic books of service (such as the Latin Roman Missal displayed), which removed the parts of Catholic services that Protestants rejected and ensured that all English people heard the Bible in the vernacular.

The Book of Common Prayer is significant as a religious work and, because all English people were forced to attend church and use it, its phrases and terms became part of English-speaking culture. These include the words of the marriage ceremony, “for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part,” as well as the service for the dead, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” These phrases have extended beyond use in the English liturgy and into common social experience.

- Rebellion -

The hundred-year period following the start of the Proetestant Reformation in 1517 was fraught with political tension throughout Europe, as rulers began choosing religious sides and enforcing conformity. This resulted in a number of political rebellions.

England struggled to navigate this religious, political, and cultural shift. Henry VIII sent the country into turmoil when he famously divorced both his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the Catholic Church, later declaring himself Supreme Head of the Church in England. Henry's son, Edward VI, along with his regents, firmly enforced Protestantism during his six-year reign (1547-1553). This was the first time an English Church was markedly different from its Catholic counterpart. However, when Edward died in 1553, his Catholic half-sister Mary Tudor assumed the throne. Her persecution of Protestants earned her the title Bloody Mary among later Protestant generations.

England once again turned Protestant when Elizabeth I was crowned Queen in 1558. Although she was less violent to Catholics than Mary had been to Protestants, Elizabeth strictly enforced Protestantism throughout England and her government was forced to justify the execution of Catholic leaders on several occasions, as in The Execution of Justice (displayed).

Each of these monarchs received backlash from the people under their rule. As early as 1536, Henry experience public protest with the Pilgimage of Grace, led by Robert Aske. In 1554, Mary's government put down a rebellion led by the Protestant courtier Thomas Wyatt. The most famous act of resistance during Elizabeth's reign was the Catholic Northern Rebellion of 1569, discussed in Thomas Norton's pamphlet (displayed).

- The Printing Press -

The Reformation

The rapid spread of the Reformation was partly enabled by new technology: the printing press, first developed in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany in the middle of the fifteenth century. The invention of moveable type made it easier to mass produce books and pamphlets, helping to spread Reformation ideas and serving the Protestants' emphasis on individual bible reading (see the Geneva Bible displayed).

Manuscripts

Before the advent of the printing press, bookmaking was a slow and painstaking process. Texts were copied by hand from the original, which took time and severely limited accessibility. Many religious texts, such as the De Villers Book of Hours (displayed), were illuminated with gold flakes and other vibrant colors. This was a delicate process that could only be done by hand. The result was beautiful, but not entirely practical for large-scale reproduction.

Printed Works

Sixteenth century printing enabled the mass production of texts for the first time. To print a work, printers assembled metals casts of letters—moveable type—into boxes called forms, one for each sheet of paper. The forms would then be put into the press, inked, and pressed into paper; the sheets would then be dried, folded, and sent off to the binder. Illustrations were added from woodcuts (as in the Geneva Bible displayed), which meant that printers and bookmakers did not need to hire someone to paint the illuminations. Among the most popular early products of the printing press were religious works such as printed Catholic books of hours, and later, Protestant prayer books.