EUROPEAN & ASIAN HISTORY 1559 - 1569
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1542
The counter-reformation is proposed by John Peter Carafa later Paul IV (1555-1559). It is officially sanctioned by Pope Paul III (1534-1549) by establishing the Congregation of the Roman Inquisition. The Holy Office provides central authority by refreshing the two century old Episcopal and Dominican inquisitions that could imprison anyone on suspicion of heresy, confiscate his property and execute the guilty.
Martin Luther turned from an admirer of Jews into a vicious anti-Semite in his essays concerning the Jews and their lies and schema Hamphoras published this year. He urged that all synagogues, books and houses of Jews be burned. He wanted to destroy all Jews with hellfire considering them children of the devil. It is noteworthy the Martin Luther in 1523 wrote, Jesus Christ is a Jew, the Jews are the best blood on earth.
Between 1536 and 1543 Wales was joined to England under one administration, English law was now the only law for Wales, English became the only official language and Welsh was soon only spoken in the hills. The Welsh Bible that was permitted by Henry VIII became the only basis on which the Welsh language survived through their poets and singers even to current times.
The Portuguese first visited Japan in 1542.
The bubonic plague 1542 to 1560's started in Egypt. killing 40% of the population of Constantinople before spreading into Europe. In London 1/4 to 1/3 of the population died. It recurred in London at least six more times in the 1560's, killing thousands each time.
1543
Henry VIII (1509-1547) wanted to marry his son Edward to the baby Queen of Scots, Mary and in this way join the two countries together under an English King. Ordinary Scots are unhappy at the idea and the proposal is turned down. For the next two years English soldiers punished them by burning and destroying the houses of southern Scotland. Rather than give little Mary to the English, the Scots sent her to France, where she married the French king’s son in 1558.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) having previously defended the rights of Jews published a savage obscene attack on the Jews. Calling them this dammed, rejected race of Jews, he urged his followers to burn their synagogues, demolish their homes and force them to do manual labor. Some believe he is angry that his conversion strategy did not work on the Jews. Others that he is a sick old man that caused him to slip back into the common anti Semitic attitudes of the Roman Catholic Church. Jews are being forcibly expelled from parts of what are now Germany, Spain, Poland, Italy, Portugal and other countries.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) wrote:
If this sounds like the final solution, Hitler enjoyed reading Luther's ranting.
1544
Gustavus Vasa I (1523-1560) is determined to make Sweden a Lutheran country because the Roman priests in Sweden are unionists. The priests are working to maintain a union of the three Scandinavian Kingdoms. Gustavus I complained that his people understood civilization so little, that they invariably robbed the merchants who came to trade with them. The cultures of Sweden, Poland and Russia are believed to be on the same level of social development. The people are considered poor but hardy with thriftiness being an attribute.
1545
Emperor Charles V (1519-1556) (1500-1558) proposed the Council should confine itself to discipline and reform and suggested it be conducted at Trent. The Protestants wanted an uncommitted council of all Christians. Pope Paul III missed this opportunity to resolve the schism by insisting on dealing with dogma, scripture, tradition, original sin, justification and the sacraments. The Spanish Council of Trent 1545-1563 is called by Pope Paul III, (1534-1549) (Farnese) the Petticoat Cardinal, brother to the Pope Clement VII (1523-1534) whore Giulia Farnese called the Bride of Christ. Cardinal Contarini told Paul III that the entire papal court is heretical, it is contrary to the essence of the Gospel, Christ's law brings freedom, and the papacy brings only serfdom and caprice. No greater slavery than this could be imposed on Christ's faithful. Of the 187 Bishops attending the Council of Trent well over half are Italian. Spanish prelates and doctors of faith dominated the Council. The Spanish Jesuits firmly and decisively supported the Italian hard line policy. The Spanish Council of Trent made religious reunion of Christendom in Europe impossible. The Council wrote Father Paulo Sarpi, is so confirmed to schism and hardened attitudes as to make disagreements un-resolvable. Trent confirmed the enormous power of Spanish-Rome and Bishops so lost their power that no Council is held for more than three hundred years. It became mandatory to use saint’s names for baptism and by the 1600's the Protestants would reject this mandate and selected names from the Old Testament. Parma belonged to the Papacy and became a hereditary duchy of Pope Clements VII's bastard. The Church, through its Inquisition, would continue with ruthless cruelty and bigotry in the name of Christ.
Pope Paul III bestowed Parma and Piacenza, parts of the papal state, on his dissolute son Pierluigi, an enemy of Emperor Charles (1500-1558). Pierluigi is murdered in 1549 and Charles claimed the two duchies for his own son-in-law Ottavio, the pope’s grandson who turned against the pope.
1546
French King Francis I (1515-1547) ordered the massacre of the Waldenses, a Protestant sect connected with the Calvinists. The Waldenses lived chiefly in Provence and twenty-two towns were attacked and thousands of Christians slaughtered by the Catholics. The Roman Catholic Church's Council of Trent adopted St. Jerome's widely used Latin text of the Gospel in response to the Protestant Reformation. The Protests use several versions of the Bible not agreeing upon one as more authoritative than another.
1547
English Parliament gives local magistrates the power to take any person who was without work and gives him for two years indenture to any local farmer who wanted to use him. Any person found homeless and unemployed a second time would be executed. The indenture period forced the poor into life long slavery or robbery. Visitors remarked "there are an incredible number of robbers in England, they go about in bands of twenty".
Edward VI of England institutes law requiring that Gypsies be seized and "branded with a 'V' on their breast, and then enslaved for two years." If escapees are caught they will be branded with an "S" and made slaves for life.
French became the official language of France replacing latin.
March 31: King Francis I (1515-1547) died and Henry, Duke of Orleans became King Henry II (1547-1559) of France and Catherine de Medici Queen of France an estate so high even Pope Clement VII (Medicis) had not envisaged when he had arranged the marriage.
1548
Henry VIII (1509-1547) died and the child King Edward VI (1547-1553) became King and the country is ruled by a council who had benefited from the sale of monastery lands and were therefore keen Protestant reformers. Most English people believed in the Catholic religion but less than half believed in Protestant reformation and the numbers are growing. They did not like the selling of pardons for sins but also did not like the changes in other beliefs. The council ordered new prayer books to be used in all churches and forbid the Catholic mass.
The Jesuit (Society of Jesus) published its 'Spiritual Exercises' to serve as a guide of self-discipline. One precept stated, if the church teaches that white is black, the Jesuit must believe it. This absolute obedience rule manifested itself in a deep rooted conviction that the future Black Robes of America and other Jesuits are a band of trained liars and sworn enemies of reality. These soldiers of Christ as they called themselves muscled their way into positions of power throughout the world.
Paul II, Moto Proprio, "each and every person of either sex, weather Roman or non-Roman, weather secular or clerical...may freely and lawfully buy and sell publicly any slaves whatsoever of either sex... and publicly hold them as slaves and make use of their work and compel them to do the work assigned to them...slaves who flee to the capital and appeal for their liberty shall in no wise be free from bondage of their servitude but,,, shall be returned in slavery to their owners and if it seems proper...punished as runaways." This is clearly at odds with Sicut Dudum 1435, Sublimis Deus 1537, Pastotale Officium 1537. The decree however is supportive of the Council of Gangra 340, Expositio in Librum, 600, the Ninth Council of Toledo, 655 and the 12th and 13th century Crusades that permitted slavery. Canon Law is in conflict as is Rome and the Spanish in the field including the clergy.
1550
Joseph (Jacob) Hutter, an Austrian is the founder of the brotherhood of the Hutterites about 1550 in Moravia, Czechoslovakia. More than fifty percent of their descendants reside in Alberta, Canada. Antonio Galvao of Portugal published a book recommending building the Panama Cannel. Henri I of Lorraine, Duke of Guise, Scarface, eldest son of Francois de Guise, born 1550, would witnessed the murder of his father on the walls of Orleans, and from that moment vowed vengeance and hatred against the Protestants. The Russian Tsar Ivan IV (1500-1584) conquered the Khanates of Kazan and Astrakhan establishing rule over the whole course of the Volga River. The Russians began a slow steady expansion south and southeast building fortified lines to prevent the Tartars from destroying the new settlements.
Julius III alias Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte (1550-1555) is elected pope in spite of hostility from Emperor Charles V (1519-1556) (1500-1558). Julius had been responsible for moving the council of Trent to Bologna thereby causing its demise before it could deal with church reform. Julius is noted as being generous to his relatives, pleasure loving, devoted to banquets, the theatre and hunting. He created scandal by his infatuation with a fifteen year old youth (Innocenzo) picked up on the streets of Parma, whom he made his brother adopt and named cardinal.
1551
A French edict is issued to reward informers of heretics by allowing one third of the goods of those on whom they had informed.
1552
Michel de Nostradame (1503-1566) the great prophet wrote at Lyon, France of the Catholic peasant bands called Cabans who are notorious for pillaging the rich Huguenot houses. "Here where I reside I carry on my work among animals, barbarians, mortal enemies of learning and letters." Pope Julius combined papal and imperial armies but failed to defeat the French under Henry II (1547-1559) and the German princes revolted against Emperor Charles. The Pope had to make a disadvantageous truce giving up Parma. All sides in the conflict now mistrusted the pope.
The Jesuit Francis Xavier (1506-1552) died on an island off the Chinese mainland. He believed the Chinese pagans being non-baptized would roast in hell eternally. The Jesuit Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) took the Roman theology to China.
1553
King Edward VI (1547-1553) age sixteen died and Mary the Catholic daughter of Catherine became Queen because of support by the ordinary people who are angered by the greed of the Protestant nobles. She had the council cancel all new Reformation laws. Mary, for political, religious and family reasons, chose to marry King Philip II (1556-1598) of Spain. The ordinary people disliked the marriage causing a rebellion in Kent that nearly reached London before failing. During her five-year reign she began burning Protestants and three hundred people died in this way and that sickened the people.
1554
In the reign of Philip and Mary, an Act is passed which decrees that that the death penalty shall be imposed for being a Gypsy, or anyone who "shall become of the fellowship or company of Egyptians."
1555
Michel de Nostradame (1503-1566) the great prophet published his first prophecies but his complete works would not be published until 1568 two years after his death. March 1 he wrote to his son, "Since governments, sects and countries will undergo such sweeping changes, diametrically opposed to what now obtains, that were I to relate events to come, those in power now - monarchs, leaders of sects and religion - would find these so different from their own imaginings that they would be led to condemn what later centuries will learn how to see and understand. Do not give anything holy to the dogs, nor throw pearls in front of the pigs lest they trample them with their feet and turn on you and tear you apart." He spoke of the Vulgar Advent to follow that will scandalize delicate sensibilities.
Marcellus II alias Marcello Cervini (1555-1555) is elected pope. His inflexible support for papal policy as co-president during the Council of Trent earned him the Emperors disapproval. He resolved to exclude nepotism and forbade his numerous relatives to come near Rome.
Pope Paul IV alias Giampietro (Giovanni) Pieto Carafa (1555-1559) the head of the reactivated Inquisition is elected pope, against the wishes of the Emperor and is classed as a fanatic, inhuman in his severity, he hated Jews and shut them in ghettos, hated sodomites whom he burned, hated women whom he forbade to darken the doors of the Vatican. This Pope is also fiercely anti-Spanish considering they that breed of Moors and Jews, those dregs of the earth. The Pope is a prime candidate for the Inquisition with his mistress, illegitimate children, his gifts of red hats to his grandson and two nephews aged fourteen and sixteen. The Pope orders Michelangelo to make the Sistine Ceiling more suitable meaning to give the saints clothing, the angles wings and Christ a beard. Michelangelo refused saying let Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) make the world a suitable place and the painting will soon follow suit. Upon Michelangelo's death his famous ceiling is made more suitable rather than the Church.
Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) of the Holy Roman Empire (1519-1556) is forced to let each member state be either Catholic or Lutheran as they locally chose. Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) denounced this accommodation as heresy.
1556
Akbar (1556-1605), the greatest of the Mogul Emperors, added Bengal and other parts of north India to their Empire.
Sir Francis Drake who apparently picked them up in Columbia introduces the American potato to Europe. The Incas loved their potato and called the blue tubers the food of love and Pope Paul IV denounced it as the root of man's licentious and depraved moral behavior. As a result tens of thousands would die a famine. Many people thought that because of the Vatican stand that they are poisonous and they are banned in Burgundy in 1619 because they caused leprosy.
January 23: A powerful earthquake rolled through Shensi, Honan and Shansi (Shanxi) provinces of China killing an estimated 830,000 people.
1557
Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) issued his Bull Cum ex Apostolatus Officio. He claimed to be Pontifex Maximus, God's representative on earth. As such, he had unlimited power to depose every monarch, hand over every country to foreign invasion, deprive every one of his possessions without legal process. Anyone offering help to one deposed would be excommunicated. He allied himself with France making war on Spain. The duke of Alva viceroy of Naples defeats the papal army and the papal state is overrun.
The Papal-French war is brought to a halt by the allies of Spain, Flanders, Hungary, Germany and England on the Netherlands frontier. The French army is virtually annihilated. The number of prisoners is so great that King Philip ordered those too poor to pay ransom to be set free on their promise not to fight against Spain for a year.
Pope Paul IV (1555-1559) placed Michele Ghislieri (future Pope Pius V) as the head of the Roman Inquisition. Cardinal Giovanni Morone (1509-1580) a known innocent is imprisoned for heresy. The Congregation of the Inquisition (Holy Office) under the direction of the pope created the Index of Forbidden Books of unprecedented and quite unrealistic severity. Jews are accused of abetting Protestantism and Pope Pius IV confined them strictly to ghettos in Rome and the papal state. He forced them to wear distinctive headgear.
The suspicion of Inquisition is aroused in Spain when over one hundred clergy, monks and nuns are arrested alone with a few non-clergies. If an accused recanted they are not burned alive. As a result of these arrests Protestantism in the south of Spain seems to have been virtually extinguished.
Russian Tsar Ivan IV (1500-1584) denounced the Teutonic Order of Knights as criminals who have deserted the Christian faith and burnt Russian Ikons.
1558
Bloody Queen Mary I (1553-1558) died and her half sister Elizabeth I (1558-1603), became Queen of England.
Russian Tsar Ivan IV (1500-1584) ordered Prince Ivan Kurbsky to invade Eastonia, burning and slaying. The young people between ten and twenty are dragged off to the Tartar slave-markets. Every German is put to death some 10,000 before the gates of Dorpat. The Russians occupied twenty towns before retiring for winter. The Teutonic Order retaliated taking advantage of the winter weather to capture several garrisons.
Spain issued its Index Librorum Prohibitorum (Index of Forbidden Books) five years before the papal Index. Censorship of the press is put into the hands of the Inquisition. It is noteworthy that the Roman and Spanish Index differed in content throughout their long history. Books banned in Rome are sometimes not banned in Spain and vice versa. Heresy, superstition, magic, witchcraft, obscenity, libel or sedition is frequent reasons for the banning of books.
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