World History / Unit 6: Renaissance, Reformation and the Age of Exploration
6.4 The Catholic Reformation and Religious Wars
Notes
The Catholic Church responded with its own reform movement, the Catholic (Counter-) Reformation.
- The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) reaffirmed Catholic teachings (faith and good works, the authority of the Church, the seven sacraments) and ended the worst abuses, such as the sale of indulgences.
- Ignatius of Loyola founded the Jesuits (1540), an order known for education and missionary work in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
- The Church created an Index of Forbidden Books and used the Inquisition to pursue people it considered heretics.
- Religious division led to wars: the French Wars of Religion ended with the Edict of Nantes (1598), which granted rights to French Protestants (Huguenots).
- The Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648) devastated the German states. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) recognized the sovereignty of states and accepted religious diversity among them.
Practice
What was one goal of the Council of Trent?
The council clarified beliefs and reformed Church practices.
The Jesuits contributed to the Catholic Reformation mainly by:
Education and missions helped the Church regain and expand membership.
The Peace of Westphalia (1648) is significant because it:
It is often seen as the start of the modern state system.
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