During the late 1400's, England became a country plagued by changes, both good and bad. Knights, who were once prominent in England faded away and became less popular. Soon after that, the Renaissance swept into and changed England dramatically. The Renaissance, which started in France and many other western European nations, was a time of prospering for literature, art, science and learning. At the same time the Renaissance was occurring, a religious revolution was beginning, which was known as the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation helped to influence and strengthen the Renaissance that was just arising in England. Many people became instrumental in bringing about the Protestant Reformation like John Calvin and most importantly Martin Luther.
Martin Luther and John Calvin were two of the men who wanted changes in the Roman Church. Martin Luther, who was a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg had protested against the Roman Catholic Church priciples. As stated in the encyclopedia, "on October 31, 1517, he posted on the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, his 95 theses, inviting debate on matters of practice and doctrine (Reformation, pg. 1)." These 95 theses caused debate on matters of practice and doctrine. These actions were not considered a revolt against the church because Luther wanted the church to only reform. John Calvin, whom many considered to be the greatest theologian of Protestantism, also helped in the Reformation. He wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion, which was published at Basal in 1536 (Reformation, .
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pg. 3). Calvin and Luther disagreed on only one principle, the Doctrine of Predestination, which means that God choose those to be saved. The impact that Both these men had helped to begin the reformation of the church that furthered the continuance of the Renaissance.
As the Reformation continued in England, a conflict formed between the Roman Catholic Church and King Henry VIII.