This century
was marked by ordinary citizens fighting for their rights against the old
feudal overlords.
Pockets of this new
world emerged in the Netherlands, Switzerland and other parts of Europe.
Unfortunately, this new trend did not extend to an understanding of human
rights.
The Portuguese began
to capture slaves in Africa and put them to work at home and on overseas
plantations. The bull 'Dum Diversas' by Pope Nicholas V (18 June 1452)
authorised the Portuguese to reduce captives to the status of slaves provided
they were not Christians. Two years later (Romanus Pontifex, 8 January
1454) the same Pope granted the monopoly of the slave trade to the Portuguese -
which the Spanish ignored. Thus started
the official
Church's shameful condoning of slavery in modern times.
Religious
intolerance dominated Christian thinking. Wycliffe's tranlation of the Bible
into the vernacular was rejected and his books burned (1409). The Czech
reformer John Hus was burnt at the stake (1415). The Inquisition terrorised
Spain. Jews were expelled from Austria and Switzerland. Joan of Arc was
captured by the English, accused of being a witch and publicly burnt at the
stake (23 May 1430)
Meanwhile Pope
Innocent VIII worsened the madness of witch hunting by publicly endorsing the
atrocious 'Hammer of
Witches' (Summis Desiderantes, 5 December 1484 .
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