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?

Catholic officials met to make reforms 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

New orders were formed to bring the focus back to spirituality. 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

The Catholic Church tried to control information 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

The Catholic Church punished non-Catholics in some countries Action #4:                                                                          The Catholic Church punished non-Catholics in some countries The Inquisition Trials that took place mostly in Spain Tortured & killed non- Catholics 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.