Religion in the Renaissance 2

  The Protestant ideas of Luther and Calvin spread quickly across northern Europe in the early 16th century. But the Catholic Church began to fight back. This was called the Counter- Reformation.

  ===== The Catholic Church fights back =====

    In 1534 Paul III became the Pope. He was clever and strong. He saw that there were bad things in the Catholic Church. He began to change them. He stopped selling pardons. He set up schools to teach ordinary priests. He also set up a court called the Inquisition. It could torture and kill people who were not true Catholics.

===== The society of Jesus ( Jesuits ) =====

   The Jesuits were highly Educated monks. They were trained like scholars and strict like soldiers. They were started by a Spanish nobleman and soldier, Ignatius Loyola.

   The Jesuits were teachers and missionaries. They wore ordinary clothes and lived among the people. They did not force people to become Catholic. They tried to persuade them by arguing. At the end of the 16th century, some Protestant countries had become Catholic again. Many people in South America, Japan and China became Catholic because of the Jesuits.

===== The Thirty Years War =====

  At the end of the 16th century the Catholics and Protestants were both very strong. Both sides believed they were right. War broke out. Most countries in Europe took part. The worst fighting was in central Europe.

   The Thirty Years War was the last important war in Europe about religion. After this, Catholics and Protestants agreed that each Church could worship as it liked.

Reformation