Counter Reformation

The Counter Reformation (about 1560 to 1648) was a partially successful effort by the Roman Catholic Church to roll back the Protestant Reformation. Using new agencies like the Jesuits, and removing much of the corruption and complaints that had weakened the Church and given the Reformers many arguments, the Church managed to hold or reclaim most of Southern and Eastern Europe, including Spain, Italy and France, and large parts of Poland, Hungary and Germany. By strengthening Catholic theology and reigning in objectionable practices, it hoped to either reabsorb or neutralize the Protestant movement while renewing the faith of the Catholic Church.

The Counter Reformation began in 1560 and end in 1648 with the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War between Catholic and Protestants. Some defining moments were the creation of the Jesuits and the convening of the Council of Trent. In the end the Protestant break was permanent and positions adopted or reaffirmed by the Catholic Church had a tendency to define the differences, but did little to mend them.

External Links

• summary

Further reading

• Dickens, A. G. The Counter Reformation (1969)
• Luebke, David, ed. The Counter-Reformation: The Essential Readings (1999) excerpt and text search, 9 essays by scholars
• O'Connell, Marvin R. Counter-reformation, 1550-1610 (1974)
• Wernham, R. B. ed. The New Cambridge Modern History, Vol. 3: Counter-Reformation and Price Revolution, 1559-1610 (1968), essays by scholars