6.2

Counter-Reformation

(or Catholic Reformation) the response of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation, beginning with the Council of Trent (1545) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War (1648) A period of Catholic revival in which the Church struggled to retain the loyalty of its members.

Reformation

A 16th century European movement for religious reform, leading to the founding of Christian churches that rejected the pope's authority.

Luther, Martin

A German monk who started the Protestant Reformation with his publication of his Ninety-Five Thesis. He would establish the first Protestant Church: the Lutheran Church.

Inquisition

A Roman Catholic court established for investigating and prosecuting charges of heresy, especially the one active in Spain in the 15th century.

Elizabeth I

An English Queen from 1533-1603 who stressed national unity and created a strong, centralized monarchy in which power was shared between the monarch and Parliament. She insisted on a moderate form of Protestantism and led the defense of England against an attack by Catholic Spain (Battle of the Spanish Armada).

indulgences

Pardons granted by the Catholic Church releasing a person from punishments due to a sin.

Ninety-Five Theses

Written propositions put forth by Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, in 1517 that exposed what he believed were abuses of the Catholic clergy, especially the sale of indulgences. They are widely regarded as the primary catalyst for the Protestant Reformation.

Calvin, John

a Protestant religious leader who developed a body of religious teachings based on the idea of predestination. He became the leader of a theocratic government in Geneva, Switzerland, a city noted for its strict, moral rules of religious conduct.

Jesuits Members of the Society of Jesus

a Roman Catholic religious order founded in 1540 whose primary goals were to stop the spread of Protestantism, convert non-Christians to Catholicism, and establish schools of learning.

Council of Trent

part of the Counter-Reformation, a series of meetings held from 1545-1563 by Roman Catholic leaders to rule on Church doctrines criticized by Protestant reformers.