Three books about the Reformation

 Three Reformers by Jacques Maritain 

With apologies to Fr. George Rutler, this book may as well have been written in Saami, Xhosa or Old Church Slavonic for all that I was able to get out of it.  It was Fr. Rutler, Catholic priest, sage and prolific writer, who recommended this book. 

We have had Three Reformers in our home library for years.  I read it at last to supplement my reading on the Reformation (Will Durant’s Volume 6).   We have the book because some questions arose in our family concerning the role of the Catholic Church in the Reformation.  At that time, we attended the Church of Our Saviour (38^th and Park in New York City) where Fr. Rutler presided.  When we directed our questions to Fr. Rutler, he replied that we should get this book and read it.   What better recommendation could one have? 

The author is French philosopher and Catholic convert Jacques Maritain. The three reformers are Martin Luther, Rene Descartes and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Maritain sees these men as respectively, a reformer of religion, a reformer of philosophy and a reformer of morality.  According to Maritain, they “dominate” and “govern all the problems which torment [the modern world.]” 

This is a book of philosophy.  I have a weak mind when it comes to that subject which is probably why I have little interest after a point.  Except for occasional phrases or short paragraphs, the content just didn’t resonate with me. For example, the portion of the book on Descartes is divided into three sections entitled ‘The Cartesian Revelation,’ ‘The Angel and Reason’ and ‘Continuation and End.’ Even the section titles didn’t orient me so I started off with a deficit.  Here is a quote. “It remains—and this is what concerns us—that the Cartesian ideas come from God, like angelic ideas, not from objects.  Thus the human soul is not only subsistent as the ancients taught, causing the body to exist with its own existence;  it has, without the body, received direct from God all the operative perfection which can befit it.” 

Here my story ends.  I have preserved some notes on this book for reference should my knack for philosophy one day improve.  For the philosophers and deep-thinkers out there, you will want to read this book recommended as it is by one of the respected Catholic priests of our day. If you do read it, please give me your thoughts. 

Characters of the Reformation by Hillaire Belloc 

Hillaire Belloc is an entertaining writer.  He is also a Catholic writer, but whether you are Catholic, Protestant, Jew or Sufi, his religion shouldn’t be the reason you choose to read him or not.   He’s clever and insightful and his writing is accessible.  Raised in England, he is the son of a French father and an English mother.  He is considered one of the great writers of the Edwardian era along with George Bernard Shaw, G.K. Chesterton and H.G. Wells.

In this short book, Belloc gives sketches of 23 different figures of the Reformation, largely concentrating on England.  England! Belloc contends that had England not succumbed fully to Protestantism, Catholicism would have prevailed and the Reformation would have been reduced to individual pockets of Protestants confined mostly to urban areas throughout Europe. Bear in mind that when Elizabeth assumed the crown in 1558, Britain was still roughly two-thirds Catholic. 

The introductory chapter is an overview and political history of the Reformation.  Belloc gives the traditional reasons for the Reformation-- the rise of nationalism; the corruptions, offenses and wealth of the Catholic Church; the growth of commerce and the wealth generated by that growth;   the rise of a mercantile class;  the triumph of rationalism over scholasticism. According to Belloc, the Reformation lasted 200 years and there are several stages. From 1517-1537 he describes a period of mostly chaos.  Next, Calvin, through his writings and focus, imposed order on the development of Protestant groups creating a more direct challenge to Catholicism and the institution of the Catholic Church.  In the second half of the 1500s, there ensued hostilities, confiscation of Church property, violence and warfare.

Belloc describes what occurred in Britain as “. .  . a succession of incidents which marked each of them a step more difficult to retrace.”  That is, there was a series of random, feckless actions that set into motion a political and religious tsunami that couldn’t be stopped.  Henry’s undisciplined nature caused him to lust after Anne Boleyn.  Anne Boleyn demanded marriage.  Henry then demanded divorce.  Thomas Cromwell, who Belloc describes as creating “the breach” between England and Rome, egged Henry on in the King’s provocation of the Pope.  Cromwell was also responsible for the pillage and theft of Church property.  And so it went.

We progress through Elizabeth I who is the mere “puppet” of William Cecil according to Belloc.  (He further humiliates the great queen describing her as “dried up and wizened, with a skin like parchment, already old but looking a far older ruin than she was.…”)   Belloc takes us through the reign of James I of England (James VI of Scotland) and the ensuing struggles among the various developing nations of Europe. We meet the Emperor Ferdinand II, Cardinal Richelieu, Gustavus Adolphus, Oliver Cromwell and others ending with Louis XIV.  Belloc also gives helpful sketches of philosophers Rene Descartes who is credited with giving us Rationalism and Blaise Pascal who gave us Emotionalism.  Both men greatly influenced the culture of the  ensuing years. 

This is an excellent book of the over 100 that Hillaire Belloc has written.  I have taken abundant notes on each of the twenty-three historical figures.  I make frequent reference to my notes and the original text as I continue my reading on the Reformation and its aftermath.    

Philip II by Henry Kamen 

Philip II of Spain lived from 1527-1598 and he was the son of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel of Portugal.  He was a central figure representing Catholic Europe in the post-Reformation years.  Unfortunately, this author failed, in my opinion, to bring enthusiasm and imagination to the life and times of Philip II.  

Philip II is not a necessarily disagreeable figure but I never grew to like him.  Not particularly handsome in my estimation, he wasn’t particularly dynamic either. The author made occasional attempts to counter the image of Philip as serious and one dimensional, but the king emerged nonetheless as uncharismatic, unimaginative and aloof.  Though adequately educated, scholarship was not his strong suit.   As a young prince he enjoyed hunting and jousting.   He spoke only Castilian and a bit of Latin and Catalan despite the far-flung empire over which he reigned.  He did eventually amass impressive libraries and art collections, and he developed an interest in architecture and painting and gardens when, through his princely travels, he was exposed to the Renaissance culture of the rest of Europe.  

Steadfastly Catholic, Philip was a conscientious king who took his role as monarch seriously.  He reigned over a vast empire that eventually included the entire Iberian peninsula, the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Naples, the duchy of Milan, Sicily, Sardinia and the Philippines.   He had an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor being first an uncle and following him, a nephew.  Philip II had dominion over the Portuguese possessions in Asia and South America, and, don’t forget, Spain had an entire colonial empire in Mexico and South America along with parts of the North American continent. Consistent with the era and the rest of Europe he ruled over a minimally united kingdom and had to answer to local officials, governors and nobles. He dealt with numerous, agencies, committees, counselors, secretaries and advisors.  He reigned through letters, reports, directives and spent so much time at his desk that he earned the occasional sobriquet ‘paper king.’  He had traveled in his youth but Philip never left the Iberian peninsula after 1559.    

He was an apparently faithful husband to four wives, all of whom pre-deceased him. He had a short first marriage to Maria of Portugal.  She bore him a troubled son, Don Carlos, who died at the age of 23.  In Philip’s later years, he became particularly close to his daughters Isabel and Catalina whose mother was the French Elizabeth of Valois daughter of Catherine de Medici.  His successor was his only surviving son Philip III, born of his fourth and last marriage to Anna of Austria.  His second marriage to the English Queen Mary Tudor was not depicted in this book as the tragic affair it is sometimes made out to be. The author suggests that Philip was respectful of Mary and English ways and that he may have actually had some affection for her. 

Unfortunately, the book doesn’t become really engaging until well into the middle, along about page 178 which begins Chapter 7, ‘The World of Philip II.’  The author finally gives the reader some context for Philip II’s reign.  We begin to understand more about the culture of Spain and its role in Europe at the time. He describes the king’s day-to-day routines, his various residences, his family life.  The author does give a good discussion of how Philip II governed. There is a fair amount of information on Philip’s handling of the Moriscos and Conversos, the Inquisition, the Escobedo Affair, the continuous unrest in the Netherlands, affairs with England and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.  

With all that, the book comes up short in my estimation.  There are some good maps, a substantial photograph section and a very helpful chart of the royal family and lines of succession.