A clash of cultures
The Catholic Church
Friedrich III was a member of an elite group of seven German rulers whose agreement was required before the emperor could take significant action. He represented a new movement of German nationalism that opposed the pope’s ability to extract large sums of money from Germany, unlike the situation in Spain, France or England where strong rulers limited the role of the papacy. To the average German the representatives of the pope and the clergy were grasping foreigners. The Italians were equally dismissive of the Germans. The churchmen of the Renaissance were not particularly respectful of the “peasants” in the north and did not think there was anything to be learned from them.
As seen on
A man of conscience: Luther's Reformation
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