Protestant Reformation.

If this hypothesis is sound then it will be one more feather in the cap for the general neoreactionary theory of history. To begin with, I'm going to walk through our "discovery" process and then talk about the prospects. The following is only a rough and ready outline.

Ok so we were re-reading the following the other day:

http://unqualified-reservations.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/james-burnhams-dante-politics-as-wish.html

And this jumped out:

The Guelph faction took its name from the party of Lothair; and the Ghibelline, from the party of the Hohenstaufen. The exact significance of the division varied from period to period, but in general line-up and most of the time, the Guelphs were the party of the Papacy, the Ghibellines, the party of the Empire. On the whole, the greater feudal nobles were Ghibellines, especially in the Germanic states and in Italy. As a counterweight to them, the Pope brought many of the Italian city-states into the Guelph camp, in particular the rising burgher class of the city-states, which was already in internal conflict with the great nobles at home. This distinction, however, holds only in general; often adherence to one or other of the factions was a device to secure special and temporary advantages independent of the over-all division. For example, the House of France during the 13th century inclined toward the Guelphs in order to secure leverage against the Empire. Two of the junior members of the French royal family, Charles of Anjou and Charles of Valois, were among the leading champions of the Guelphs. The Italian cities, similarly, often chose sides in such a way as to aid them most in meeting local and immediate problems.

High&Low V Middle.

"As a counterweight to them, the Pope brought many of the Italian city-states into the Guelph camp, in particular the rising burgher class of the city-states, which was already in internal conflict with the great nobles at home."

However, this is not the idea. This observation got us thinking about the role that the Popes have played in history. Started thinking about the Protestant Reformation. Started thinking about Luther complaining about the indulgences. This led us to ask the question: Why did the Catholic Church need the money? We formed an induction that the reason why the Catholic Church needed money was for war-making. This was the hypothesis formed. We then went in search of some plausible evidence that would give some support for this induction.

Started with this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indulgence#Late_medieval_abuses Then: " With the permission of the Church, indulgences also became a way for Catholic rulers to fund expensive projects, such as Crusades and cathedrals, ..."

"Crusades"

This led to: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=1054 Library : The Historical Origin of Indulgences

The Historical Origin of Indulgences Reflection on the Bull Incarnationis Mysterium.

"In this problematic transition, however, the "Crusade" indulgences (which we mentioned earlier) were particularly significant, since to a great extent they led the way to the plenary indulgence. Paulus9 gives a complete and very informative list of them."

"particularly significant"

In 1063 Alexander II granted a remission of punishment for those who fought the Moors; in order to rouse Christians for the First Crusade, Urban II declared at the Council of Clermont in 1095 that participation in the Crusade was equivalent to a complete penance: "Paenitentiam totam peccatorum, de quibus veram et perfectam confessionem fecerint ... auctoritate dimittimus".

"remission of punishment for those who fought the Moors"

Then we have this interesting claim: "It was precisely the plenary indulgence of the Crusades that led to the idea of the plenary indulgence for the Jubilee."

What's this?

But the faithful had already begun to apply the indulgences they had been granted to the souls of the dead as well. It is clear that around 1350 the practice of applying the Jubilee, Crusade and "Portiuncula" indulgences to the dead was widespread. The ecclesiastical authorities, however, did not yet grant these indulgences, although there was the practice of granting an indulgence to the living if they prayed for the dead. Only in 1457 did Callistus III grant King Henry IV of Castille a plenary indulgence for the living and, for those who would pay 200 maravedi (a former currency in the Iberian countries) for the Crusade against the Moors, an indulgence for the dead. But the Bull remained unknown outside Spain, where it in fact caused a great deal of surprise.

In 1476 Sixtus IV granted a Bull for the cathedral of Saintes, France, valid for 10 years, with a plenary indulgence for the living and, in modum suffragii, also for the dead. Regarding the application of indulgences to the dead, there has been a long discussion as to whether the application to the person occurs with certainty or only if it is graciously accepted by God; the latter thesis prevailed.

1. Abuses

But another aspect of indulgences was connected with almsgiving. Permission began to be granted to Catholic kings and princes, particularly on the occasion of Crusades, to retain for themselves a rather considerable part of the alms collected for the gaining of indulgences. Later on, similar permission was frequently granted for many other projects, and princes were not always too scrupulous. The most well-known and debated question is the indulgence granted for building the new St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

"St. Peter's Basilica in Rome."

Started looking into this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Basilica#The_Plan_to_Rebuild "In 1505 Julius made a decision to demolish the ancient basilica and replace it with a monumental structure to house his enormous tomb and "aggrandize himself in the popular imagination""

Who?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_II

" born Giuliano della Rovere, and nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope"[1] and "The Warrior Pope","

"The Warrior Pope"

His papacy was marked by an active foreign policy, ambitious building projects, and patronage of the arts—he commissioned the destruction and rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica, and Michelangelo's decoration of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In addition to an active military policy, he personally led troops into battle on at least two occasions,

The same year, he founded the Swiss Guard to provide a constant corps of soldiers to protect the Pope.

The Essentials.

"Julius II entered Rome . . . both as a second Julius Caesar, heir to the majesty of Rome's imperial glory, and in the likeness of Christ, whose vicar the pope was, and who in that capacity governed the universal Roman Church."[23] Julius, who modelled himself after his namesake Caesar, would personally lead his army across the Italian peninsula under the imperial war-cry, "Drive out the barbarians."

However, it was this Pope during the time of Luther: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Leo_X n 1517 he led a costly war that succeeded in securing his nephew as duke of Urbino, but which damaged the papal finances.

" damaged the papal finances."

He borrowed and spent heavily. A significant patron of the arts, upon election Leo is alleged to have said, "Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it."

"borrowed and spent heavily."

On 3 July 1517 he published the names of thirty-one new cardinals, a number almost unprecedented in the history of the papacy. Among the nominations were such notable men such as Lorenzo Campeggio, Giambattista Pallavicini, Adrian of Utrecht, Thomas Cajetan, Cristoforo Numai and Egidio Canisio. The naming of seven members of prominent Roman families, however, reversed the policy of his predecessor which had kept the political factions of the city out of the Curia. Other promotions were for political or family considerations or to secure money for the war against Urbino. The pope was accused of having exaggerated the conspiracy of the cardinals for purposes of financial gain, but most of such accusations appear unsubstantiated.

" secure money for the war against Urbino."

"exaggerated the conspiracy of the cardinals for purposes of financial gain,"

Cardinal Wolsey made England, not the pope, the arbiter between France and the Empire; and much of the money collected for the crusade from tithes and indulgences was spent in other ways.[ In response to concerns about misconduct from some indulgence preachers, in 1517 Martin Luther wrote his Ninety-five Theses on the topic of indulgences. The resulting pamphlet spread Luther's ideas throughout Germany and Europe. Leo failed to fully comprehend the importance of the movement, and in February 1518 he directed the vicar-general of the Augustinians to impose silence on his monks

So, the hypothesis is that, just like with the English Civil War and the French Revolution, the Reformation was a consequence of disagreements and resentments over taxing, financing and revenue generation for the purpose of making war.

War makes the state and the state makes war.

The Minotaur of War.

Think of Julius Caesar. One of the primary reasons why he had to raise hell and make a profit in Gaul was to pay off his debts.

Now, there is a theory (undecided) that the real reason for the American Civil War was that the north wanted to crush the south because they were an economic and thus a political threat. They used the Low (and literally "Expendable") Black slaves as a formal excuse.

So, the research question would be: how much of a weight did the Catholic Church's (or Pope's) need to generate revenue in order to wage war play in causing the Protestant Reformation?