Protestant Refromation complemented the growth of secular movements by causing more people to question Church doctrine.
By underscoring the notable goodness of secular nature, the Protestant Reformation released the secular life from the limitations of a hierarchical world. As a result secular affairs including politics, economics and marriage were freed from the control of the church, and that contributed to the growth of secular movements
The Protestan Reformation took place during the 16th century and it was started by Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk in Germany. Among the reasons for the Reformation was the publication of a series of theses by Luther that went against some of the major practices done by the Roman Catholic Church of the time. Some of these theses protested against the selling of indulgences, the belief that all power within the Church and even the secular world, lay in the hands of the Pope, he also stated that it was the Bible the center of belief and the source of doctrine and not the Pope, that only good deeds were necessary for salvation and not the sacraments and finally that justification was gained through faith only. From all the 95 theses established in this publication posted on the church door of the town of Wittenberg, the one that most supported the growth of secularism was the one on the reach and earthly power that the Church, and most particularly the Pope, had. Many of the lords, especially in Germany, but also England and other countries, adhered to these beliefs and even used them in their favor, wishing to substract power, especially over lands, from the Church, to control them themselves. This then also led to the belief that the Church was not the governing power and should not be involved in the daily lives of people as one thing was the divine and another the secular world. This caused a break between Church and State that later fed the total division of the two.
The reasons for European expansion can fall under “the three G’s” which include God (or the spread and promotion of Christianity), Glory (fame and promotion of their power and might) and Gold (finding the Northwest Passage to the Orient which was home to spices, silks, and wealth).
An alliance that was formed with France included a pledge of military support when the time came and it was needed against Australia which was Italy's main difficulty in unifying Italy. <span />
