Chapter 581： "Guide" Martin Luther

In the next few years, apart from fighting in England and using troops overseas, Marin will be dormant in Germany for a long time, waiting for the arrival of religious war. Then, start the war that annexed northern Germany.

However, there is a big problem here-that is, the outbreak of religious war is too late ...

According to Marin's memory, in 1517, Martin Luther posted the "Ninety-Five Articles" and officially initiated the religious reform. However, in the early days, Lutheran's strength was somewhat weak, and it was preserved only by the protection of Elector Frederick III of Saxony.

It was not until the middle of the 16th century that Lutheranism grew in northern Germany. The reason for this is that the Lutheran teachings have been gradually improved. Of course, it is not a progressive improvement, but an improvement adapted to the needs of the princes.

The main contents of Martin Luther's religious reform are:

(1) The core of thought is "justification by faith".

(2) Everyone is equal before God in the Bible. This is actually against the privileges of the Holy See and the bishops, and it is most hated by the Catholic Church.

(3) The only basis of belief is the Bible. "Reflects the rising bourgeois desire for freedom, equality and anti-feudal ideas." (In fact, the previous sentence is interpreted by some crappy politicians, and it is no different from the P words. This is the real core , Is to deprive the Holy See of the power of interpretation and adjudication, so that the German secular forces are freed from the suppression of the Holy See. The core idea is the struggle for power, the conflict between the German feudal master and the Holy See. It has nothing to do with the bourgeois P Because, in this year, Germany is still an agricultural area, and the business is not well developed, and the Mao bourgeoisie. Even if there is a merchant alliance such as the Hanseatic League, these merchants have little say in the political life of Germany. Germany really has It is the lords and nobles who have the right to speak.)

(4) Reduce churches and monasteries, simplify religious ceremonies, and advocate that priests can marry their wives. This is good. Many monks who have moved their hearts should like it. No wonder some Catholic priests will support Protestantism. This one is equivalent to liberating their crotch ...

(5) The vulgar rights are higher than the religious rights, and ultimately control the religious rights.

(6) Build a church of German nationality.

...

In fact, Martin Luther opposed Catholicism in the early days, mainly because the Catholicism's exploitation of the German region caused the German people to suffer greatly. Therefore, the early Martin Luther's thinking mainly focused on the first three. The core idea is to oppose the interference and control of the Holy See by the Holy See.

However, this kind of thinking is good for the German people, but it is not good for the powerful German princes and nobles.

It was not until later that Martin Luther added a fifth idea, "Vulgar rights are higher than religious rights, and ultimately dominate religious rights," and fundamental changes have taken place.

After this idea became public, many German princes changed their attitudes and began to support Lutheranism, especially in the northern part of Germany, where the Catholic Church is weak. Because this is of great benefit to those princes.

Among them, the most important point is that Martin Luther believed that tithe should be levied by secular monarchs, not the Catholic Church ...

The princes are now frying pan, what is tithe? That is one-tenth of the income of all the people! In ancient Europe, apart from tithe, there was no other type of taxation for all people. The kings and princes mainly depended on the output of their own territory and the maintenance of commercial taxes. Therefore, the nobles are often in poor economic condition, but the church is very moist.

Why is the church moisturizing? Isn't it because of the tithe levied on all people? This is a huge cake!

In any case, there are still tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people in the princely territory. If there are 50,000 labors in the territory, and the income per person per day is 2 Finneys, then each person ’s annual income is 12 gold coins. For 50,000 labors, it is 600,000 gold coins. And tithe is to extract one-tenth of everyone's income. Then, this lord's annual income is 60,000 gold coins ...

But in fact, in Germany, in addition to the lords of the commercially developed regions, the princes of the pure agricultural princes have far less than 60,000 gold coins per year. Many princes have annual tax revenues of only a few thousand gold coins. Of course, those princes would have starved to death if they depended on taxes. They are generally maintained by the output of famous estates.

But if you get the right to levy tithe, it will be very different. Powerful princes like Electorate of Saxony with a population of more than one million, not to mention those commercial taxes, only tithe, it is estimated that there are hundreds of thousands of gold coins every year. Counting the business tax and territorial income, it properly reaches more than one million gold coins per year ...

You know, in France, such a powerful country, its annual financial income is only more than one million gold coins ...

Therefore, after Martin Luther put forward such a view in the middle and late periods, especially after proposing to allow the princes to levy tithes, many princes took a 180-degree turn, quickly joined Lutheranism, and began to "dominate the church" "Actually, the property of the church was confiscated and robbed ...

Then the Schmalkalden League was formed ...

This alliance is actually an alliance of robbers who robbed the wealth of the church. Of course, in the political books of later generations, they have portrayed them as heroes who resisted oppression ...

...

Marin remembers that the first Schmalkalden War broke out in about 1546. The army of Charles V defeated the army of the Schmalkalden League. Mainly defeated the army led by the leader of the Schmalkalden League, the Elector of Saxony, John Frederick. This John Frederick was the baby of Frederick III ’s younger brother John, who was born shortly after Marin occupied Wittenberg ... After the victory of Charles V, he deposed the electorate of John Frederick. And gave the seat of the electorate to the descendants of George, Duke of Saxony ...

Of course, in the subsequent second Schmalkalden War, the Protestant League defeated Charles V and signed the "August Religious Peace Treaty", establishing the principle of "teaching with the country" and recognizing the right of all princes to freedom Choose itself and its subjects to believe in Catholicism or Lutheran Protestantism. Later, because of this principle, the Protestantism gradually grew. After the "Thirty Years' War" in the 17th century, the Protestant forces finally defeated the Catholic Church, and the power of the Holy See declined completely. Since then, the authority of the Holy See is no longer, and the European monarchs have finally got rid of the spiritual shackles ...

...

It's just that there is a big problem here-when the first Schmalkalden war broke out in 1546, Marin was 68 years old at that time, and the old man was one, maybe he was still alive. It's only 1505, and there are 41 years before 1546 ~ www.novelhall.com ~ Where can Marlin wait?

At that time, let alone Marin, even Little Caesar, must be in his forties ...

Marin couldn't wait, so he decided-to launch in advance ...

How to launch in advance? Of course, it was to send spies to contact Martin Luther as early as possible to "guide" it to produce the idea of ​​religious reform earlier.

Then, the most important point is that-Martin Luther must be put forward in the early days of the Reformation, "the vulgar power is higher than the religious power, and ultimately dominate the religious power", and proposed that the princes control tithe collection……

As long as this point is raised, let alone Frederick III will support Martin Luther, most other princes who are not religious enough will also support Martin Luther. Because the wealth is touching. The princes are generally poor, if they get the right to collect tithe ...

As a result, Martin Luther's religious reform may be greatly accelerated. There is no need to wait until 1546 for religious wars to break out in advance. Then, Marin could laugh and play the name of defending the Holy See to annex the Protestant princes' fiefs. Reasonable and legal, and can also get the support of the pope. At that time, as soon as the Pope is happy, he can crown him a king ...