diff --git a/src/Block/Element/Document.php b/src/Block/Element/Document.php
index c43542b1ad..1746b9349b 100644
--- a/src/Block/Element/Document.php
+++ b/src/Block/Element/Document.php
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ class Document extends AbstractBlock
     /***
      * @var ReferenceMap
      */
-    private $referenceMap;
+    protected $referenceMap;
 
     public function __construct()
     {
diff --git a/src/Block/Element/FencedCode.php b/src/Block/Element/FencedCode.php
index 737b9bc711..a13f9ee25b 100644
--- a/src/Block/Element/FencedCode.php
+++ b/src/Block/Element/FencedCode.php
@@ -23,22 +23,22 @@ class FencedCode extends AbstractBlock
     /**
      * @var string
      */
-    private $info;
+    protected $info;
 
     /**
      * @var int
      */
-    private $length;
+    protected $length;
 
     /**
      * @var string
      */
-    private $char;
+    protected $char;
 
     /**
      * @var int
      */
-    private $offset;
+    protected $offset;
 
     /**
      * @param int $length
diff --git a/src/Block/Element/ListBlock.php b/src/Block/Element/ListBlock.php
index 339a438c3a..dd0587f0d3 100644
--- a/src/Block/Element/ListBlock.php
+++ b/src/Block/Element/ListBlock.php
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ class ListBlock extends AbstractBlock
     /**
      * @var bool
      */
-    private $tight = false;
+    protected $tight = false;
 
     /**
      * @var ListData
      */
-    private $data;
+    protected $data;
 
     public function __construct(ListData $listData)
     {
diff --git a/src/Block/Element/ListItem.php b/src/Block/Element/ListItem.php
index 5ab426fb40..46f4715532 100644
--- a/src/Block/Element/ListItem.php
+++ b/src/Block/Element/ListItem.php
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ class ListItem extends AbstractBlock
     /**
      * @var ListData
      */
-    private $data;
+    protected $data;
 
     public function __construct(ListData $listData)
     {
diff --git a/src/Block/Element/Paragraph.php b/src/Block/Element/Paragraph.php
index c0e07a4932..52c81ac7ba 100644
--- a/src/Block/Element/Paragraph.php
+++ b/src/Block/Element/Paragraph.php
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ public function finalize(ContextInterface $context)
      *
      * @return bool
      */
-    private function parseReferences(ContextInterface $context, Cursor $cursor)
+    protected function parseReferences(ContextInterface $context, Cursor $cursor)
     {
         $referenceFound = false;
         while ($cursor->getCharacter() === '[' && $context->getReferenceParser()->parse($cursor)) {
diff --git a/src/HtmlElement.php b/src/HtmlElement.php
index 4ffc6e6f58..188662a4b6 100644
--- a/src/HtmlElement.php
+++ b/src/HtmlElement.php
@@ -7,22 +7,22 @@ class HtmlElement
     /**
      * @var string
      */
-    private $tagName;
+    protected $tagName;
 
     /**
      * @var string[]
      */
-    private $attributes = array();
+    protected $attributes = array();
 
     /**
      * @var HtmlElement|HtmlElement[]|string
      */
-    private $contents;
+    protected $contents;
 
     /**
      * @var bool
      */
-    private $selfClosing = false;
+    protected $selfClosing = false;
 
     /**
      * @param string $tagName
diff --git a/src/Inline/Element/InlineCollection.php b/src/Inline/Element/InlineCollection.php
index 5d6b56f5ec..e9085143c6 100644
--- a/src/Inline/Element/InlineCollection.php
+++ b/src/Inline/Element/InlineCollection.php
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ class InlineCollection extends AbstractInline
     /**
      * @var ArrayCollection|AbstractInline[]
      */
-    private $inlines;
+    protected $inlines;
 
     public function __construct($inlines)
     {
diff --git a/src/Inline/Element/Newline.php b/src/Inline/Element/Newline.php
index 1f9a42ad06..8cf47860b0 100644
--- a/src/Inline/Element/Newline.php
+++ b/src/Inline/Element/Newline.php
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ class Newline extends AbstractInline
     const HARDBREAK = 0;
     const SOFTBREAK = 1;
 
-    private $type;
+    protected $type;
 
     /**
      * @param int $breakType
diff --git a/src/Inline/Parser/CloseBracketParser.php b/src/Inline/Parser/CloseBracketParser.php
index 31b60f7687..9d0c3a6a2f 100644
--- a/src/Inline/Parser/CloseBracketParser.php
+++ b/src/Inline/Parser/CloseBracketParser.php
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class CloseBracketParser extends AbstractInlineParser implements EnvironmentAwar
     /**
      * @var Environment
      */
-    private $environment;
+    protected $environment;
 
     /**
      * @return string[]
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ public function setEnvironment(Environment $environment)
      * @param int $start
      * @param int $end
      */
-    private function nullify(ArrayCollection $collection, $start, $end)
+    protected function nullify(ArrayCollection $collection, $start, $end)
     {
         for ($i = $start; $i < $end; $i++) {
             $collection->set($i, null);
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ private function nullify(ArrayCollection $collection, $start, $end)
      *
      * @return array|bool
      */
-    private function tryParseLink(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, Delimiter $opener, $startPos)
+    protected function tryParseLink(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, Delimiter $opener, $startPos)
     {
         // Check to see if we have a link/image
         // Inline link?
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ private function tryParseLink(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, Delimi
      *
      * @return array|bool
      */
-    private function tryParseInlineLinkAndTitle(Cursor $cursor)
+    protected function tryParseInlineLinkAndTitle(Cursor $cursor)
     {
         $cursor->advance();
         $cursor->advanceToFirstNonSpace();
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ private function tryParseInlineLinkAndTitle(Cursor $cursor)
      *
      * @return Reference|null
      */
-    private function tryParseReference(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, Delimiter $opener, $startPos)
+    protected function tryParseReference(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, Delimiter $opener, $startPos)
     {
         $savePos = $cursor->saveState();
         $cursor->advanceToFirstNonSpace();
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ private function tryParseReference(Cursor $cursor, ReferenceMap $referenceMap, D
      *
      * @return AbstractWebResource
      */
-    private function createInline($url, InlineCollection $labelInlines, $title, $isImage)
+    protected function createInline($url, InlineCollection $labelInlines, $title, $isImage)
     {
         if ($isImage) {
             return new Image($url, $labelInlines, $title);
diff --git a/src/ReferenceParser.php b/src/ReferenceParser.php
index 15d1a67984..59a6373baa 100644
--- a/src/ReferenceParser.php
+++ b/src/ReferenceParser.php
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ class ReferenceParser
     /**
      * @var ReferenceMap
      */
-    private $referenceMap;
+    protected $referenceMap;
 
     public function __construct(ReferenceMap $referenceMap)
     {