1559 A.D.

User Summary:

A series of adventures originally written for the Fantasy Imperium RPG set in Europe around 1559 AD.

From the Publisher:

The Rebellion & The Reformation

"And Samuel said, 'Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king."

- I Samuel 15:22-23

In 1517 A.D. Martin Luther posted a notice on the doors of the castle church in Wittenburg, Germany, known as the 95 theses.

He was criticizing many of the practices of the Church, including the selling of indulgences, which are the removal of temporal punishments from sin by the Church. Indulgences were being sold to finance the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

This began a debate within the Church that resulted in the an outright rebellion against the Church. This movement, which was called the Reformation, gained significant ground in Germany.

Several new churches came into existence, all under the general name of Protestant (those who protest). Two important principles during the Reformation were Solo Scriptura, and Solo Fide.

Solo Scriptura means that the Bible alone is the authoritative source for the Truth. While the Catholics maintained that there were two sacred deposits of faith, that of the Bible, and that of Sacred Tradition. The Catholics believed in a central authority for the interpretation of the scriptures. Solo Fide meant that a person gained entrance into Heaven only by faith and not through works. Protestants thought that after accepting Jesus Christ, they were allowed admittance into heaven through faith alone. Catholics required a person to also perform good works, such as helping the poor, etc.

Eventually the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 A.D. established the protection of Lutherans. The treaty also allowed each of the 360 independent German states to choose between the Lutheran and Catholic Church.

In the 16th century, the Catholic Chuch went through a reform called the Counter-Reformation. This was an effort to win back Protestants without resorting to warfare.