Changes

Only a strong monarch or government could control the evil nature, especially of the lower orders. As a result of the Peasants War, existing trends in the Reformation were confirmed and even became entrenched in Lutheranism. The Protestant Churches were to support the existing social order, which was hierarchal and socially conservative.<ref>Hale, p. 115</ref> Lutheranism in part, because of the Peasant War, became a faith that was very much concerned with social order and discipline. Initially, Luther had seemed to promise a Church that was more liberal, but after the Peasant’s War, it became noticeably more conservative and even reactionary.

The Reformation had always been dependent on the support of the elite. They had helped Luther to defy the Pope. Many had seen in Luther’s teachings an opportunity to enrich themselves and gain control over their own local churches.<ref>Hale, p. 115</ref> As the secularisation of monasteries and nunneries progressed, the nobles and the urban elite had benefitted enormously. This trend continued during the Peasant War and in its aftermath. Moreover, the elites began to have more control over the actual running of the newly formed Lutheran Churches. This was despite Luther’s belief in the separation of state and church. He had previously believed that the church should be kept separate from the secular power, which is inherently corrupt and corrupting.<ref> Luther, p. 3</ref>

====Popular Reformation====