Download Effects of the Reformation

The Counter (Catholic)
Reformation
The Counter Reformation was a
series of actions the Catholic
Church took to counteract the
effects of the Protestant
Reformation.
What contributed to the Catholic
Churches’ need to reform?
Action #1:
Catholic officials met to make reforms
• Council of Trent
– Banned the selling of
indulgences
– Created a code of conduct for
all clergy (priests, popes, etc.)
– Rejected the Protestant belief
that the church was not needed
to help people reach salvation
Action #2:
New orders were formed to bring the
focus back to spirituality.
– Jesuits
• Founded by
Ignatius Loyola
• Focused on
obedience to the
church
• Concentrated on
education as a way
to spread
Catholicism
Action #3:
The Catholic Church tried to
control information
• The Index of Banned
Books
– The Catholic Church
warned people not to read
certain books
– Protestant churches also
issued lists of banned
books
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/15/ba
nned-books-2013-captain_n_3083933.html
Action #4:
The Catholic Church punished
non-Catholics in some countries
• The Inquisition
– Trials that took place
mostly in Spain
– Tortured & killed nonCatholics
– Forced many to flee
Spain
Circa 1500, A prisoner undergoing torture at the hands of the Spanish
Inquisition. Monks in the background wait for his confession with quill
and paper.
Catholics and Protestants
both tried to convert people to
their beliefs, resulting in
religious and political wars
across Europe.
The Wars of Religion
• War in Germany (Holy Roman Empire)
–
–
–
–
Birthplace of the Reformation
But, the main ruler, Charles V, was Catholic
And many German princes were Protestant
Peace of Augsburg: Each prince could
choose the religion of his territory
– This resulted in an uneasy peace between
Catholic and Protestant neighbors
The Wars of Religion
• War and Conflict in France
– Protestants in France were called Huguenots
– Religious war between Catholics and Huguenots split France
in the 1500s
– In 1572, Catholics killed more than 20,000 Protestants in the
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
The Wars of Religion
• France, cont.
– Finally in 1598, Henry
IV signed the Edict of
Nantes, which called
for an end to fighting
between the two
Christian groups
– It also offered
protection to
Huguenots in France
The Wars of Religion
• The Thirty Years’ War
– Began when Protestant rebels threw 2
Catholics out a castle window
– Brought devastation to central Europe,
especially Germany
– Approximately 1/3 of Germany’s population
died
– Ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia,
which did the same thing as the Peace of
Augsburg had in the 1500s
One of the outcomes of the
Protestant Reformation, was that
Europe became more divided.