AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
UNIT 2 VOCABULARY
Age of Reformation, c. 1450 to c. 1648
17 essential terms, organized by topic and aligned to the official College Board framework.
Luther & the Protestant Reformation
Term Definition
Indulgence A document issued by the Catholic Church claiming to reduce punishment/time in
purgatory for sins; its sale was a major target of Luther's criticism.
Ninety-Five Theses Martin Luther's 1517 document criticizing the sale of indulgences and Church
practices, traditionally seen as sparking the Reformation.
Sola fide “Faith alone” — Luther's doctrine that salvation comes through faith, not through
Church-mediated sacraments or good works.
Sola scriptura “Scripture alone” — the Protestant doctrine that the Bible, not Church tradition or
the Pope, is the ultimate religious authority.
Lutheranism The Protestant denomination founded on Martin Luther's teachings, generally
supporting state (princely) oversight of the church.
Calvin, Radicals & the English Reformation
Term Definition
Predestination Calvin's doctrine that God has already determined, before birth, who will be saved
(“the Elect”) and who will not.
Calvinism The Reformed Protestant tradition founded by John Calvin, emphasizing
predestination and church independence from the state.
Anabaptists Radical reformers who rejected infant baptism and demanded complete separation
of church and state.
Huguenots French Protestants (Calvinists), targets of persecution during the French Wars of
Religion.
Act of Supremacy The English law making Henry VIII (rather than the Pope) the head of the Church of
(1534) England.
Puritans English Protestants (associated with Calvinism) who sought to “purify” the Church of
England of remaining Catholic influence.
UNIT 2 VOCABULARY
Age of Reformation, c. 1450 to c. 1648
17 essential terms, organized by topic and aligned to the official College Board framework.
Luther & the Protestant Reformation
Term Definition
Indulgence A document issued by the Catholic Church claiming to reduce punishment/time in
purgatory for sins; its sale was a major target of Luther's criticism.
Ninety-Five Theses Martin Luther's 1517 document criticizing the sale of indulgences and Church
practices, traditionally seen as sparking the Reformation.
Sola fide “Faith alone” — Luther's doctrine that salvation comes through faith, not through
Church-mediated sacraments or good works.
Sola scriptura “Scripture alone” — the Protestant doctrine that the Bible, not Church tradition or
the Pope, is the ultimate religious authority.
Lutheranism The Protestant denomination founded on Martin Luther's teachings, generally
supporting state (princely) oversight of the church.
Calvin, Radicals & the English Reformation
Term Definition
Predestination Calvin's doctrine that God has already determined, before birth, who will be saved
(“the Elect”) and who will not.
Calvinism The Reformed Protestant tradition founded by John Calvin, emphasizing
predestination and church independence from the state.
Anabaptists Radical reformers who rejected infant baptism and demanded complete separation
of church and state.
Huguenots French Protestants (Calvinists), targets of persecution during the French Wars of
Religion.
Act of Supremacy The English law making Henry VIII (rather than the Pope) the head of the Church of
(1534) England.
Puritans English Protestants (associated with Calvinism) who sought to “purify” the Church of
England of remaining Catholic influence.
