Late Medieval Rosary

An important element of the cultural background of the Reformation was the late-medieval fashion of the memento mori or "reminder of death". Influenced by the Black Death, which seemed to strike people down at random, as well as the anxieties brought about by early modern social and political change, people continuously reminded themselves of the futility and transience of this life. With a heightened awareness that death could come at any time many in European society focused on being constantly prepared for the Final Judgement.

A common theme in the art of this period is a fixation on the macabre. Images of death and decay reminded the viewer of the fate that awaited all regardless of social standing. For the social elite in particular it was a type of ostentatious humility by which they paradoxically decried as vanity the very things they used to differentiate themselves from their social inferiors.

This rosary from the early sixteenth century is an outstanding example of urban lay piety on the eve of the Reformation. With it, the act of meditation through repetitive prayers became a reflection one's mortal frailty, and that someday soon the body would be consumed by worms and decay. As humbling as this thought is, the vehicle is anything but modest. The intricate working and the valuable materials used suggest that this object was meant for a very wealthy individual, yet this was not meant to be a public sense of display of status in the way that clothing was. Thus while it was considered virtuous to for the elite to reflect on death and the vanity of wealth, there was no reason why it couldn't be done in style.

Luther and the "New Media"

One of the things we emphasize in this class is how the Protestant Reformation was the product of a particular social, cultural, and political context instead of a sudden realization that the Catholic Church was corrupt. Luther's significance is not that he was the first religious reformer (he was not) but in the fact that he was the first reformer to achieve notable success.

Part of the historical context of the Reformation was the advent of the printing press. Although Guttenberg's invention appeared several decades before Luther's 95 theses, Luther and his inner circle were masters at exploiting the possibilities of this revolutionary invention. This article from The Economist is a good introduction to how Luther used the power of the press to spread his ideas.