The most fundamental change to the power of the Roman Catholic Church came during the era of the Protestant Reformation. By the time Reformation of 1500-the 1600s commenced, tensions were already high: the Roman Catholic Church had been heavily involved in political, cultural, and military matters of Europe, particularly in Italy (Flick, 2018). This preoccupation with politics has perhaps distracted the Church from noticing an uprising change; further, such machinations have severely undermined the papacy’s authority and reputation. The papal hierarchy became known for abusing its power and being prone to corruption (Flick, 2018). Simultaneously, the Church was not willing to reform any of the established religious structures, which led to an increasing discontent of the public (Flick, 2018). Therefore, the latter part of the Middle Ages was marked by a substantial change in the Roman Catholic Church’s political standing and class influence in the West.
Meanwhile, the socio-political structure of medieval Europe has been gradually shifting. Europe, most notably Germany, experienced a rise in national states. The Reformation came when many European citizens struggled to trust the Roman Catholic representatives or their teachings (Flick, 2018). There, the anti-Catholic protests came to their crescendo when Martin Luther began his attacks on the Roman Catholic doctrine after witnessing indulgences being sold (Flick, 2018). Protestantism has become a separate branch of Christianity, initiating a process of a permanent division of European Christendom (Flick, 2018). After the Reformation ended, numerous national churches sprouted throughout medieval Europe, pushing the Roman Catholic Church from its previously undisputed pedestal (Flick, 2018). Thus, the mid-fourteenth century upsurge of Protestantism in the age of Reformation resulted in the loss of the Roman Catholic Church’s predominant position in the West.
References
Flick, A. C. (2018). The decline of the medieval Church (Vol. 1). Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group.