King Philip IV of France was the founder of Protestantism

When people talk about the reformation in the 16th century they’re eager to find photo-Protestants who lived in centuries prior who had similar ideas.  The names that usually come up are Huss, Wycliffe, and Gottschalk.  There have been attempts to make St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas into proto-Protestants but anyone familiar with their theology can debunk these claims in a second.  So who was the true proto-Protestant?

As I’ve said before, Protestantism wasn’t so much religious as it was political.  Martin Luther could write all the tracts that he wanted but if the German princes never jumped on board, he’d be a footnote in a history book.  I agree with Dr. E. Michael Jones’ thesis that the reformation was a state-sponsored looting operation.  The looting wasn’t done by the common man but by government authorities who pocketed the money and gave it to their friends.  The property stolen included monasteries, endowments, chantries, land, guilds, and much other property owned by the Church.  All of it was taken since the new convenient replacement religion only needed church buildings.

So instead of looking for John Huss or someone else who has theology that might be similar to Luther we should look for a monarch who set a precedent.  The golden age of the Church was from the time of Pope Gregory VII to about 1300.  During this period you had the Pope with firm authority over kings.  A Pope could dethrone a king and put his whole kingdom under interdict.  The subjects of the king would refuse to listen to him and he’d be forced to repent.  Whether it was the king of France, England, or the Holy Roman Emperor, the Pope won.  That was until Philip IV of France.

In the medieval age you could tax the Church but only with the Pope’s permission.  England and France were at war and Philip IV needed money.  He then taxed the Church against the will of the Pope.  This was the first step of the rogue monarch.  The second thing he did was lie about the Templars so that he could disband their order in France and cease all of their assets.  He accused them of a whole bunch of crimes such as idolatry, sodomy, and many others.  Some confessed but only because they were being tortured.

These acts weren’t because he was against Church corruption or anything.  It was because of his greed and lust for money.  Another proof is that the Catholic Church wasn’t the only victim of his looting.  He also confiscated all Jewish property and expelled them from France.  Obviously Philip IV was all about money.  Then again, that’s what the reformation was primarily about.  Sure, some people had heterodox theological ideas but that has existed from 33 to 1500 AD.  Every century has had dissenters.  Ever heard of Arius and Dioscorus?  What about Berengarius of Tours?  What about the Cathars, Paulicians, and Waldensians?  Heresy has always existed.  The difference is that if you have a financially motivated monarch things change.  King Philip IV set a precedent for Henry VIII, the Scandinavian monarchs, the German princes and the Swiss canton governments.  He is the founder of Protestantism.