The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation, and its beginning is conventionally linked to the opening of the Council of Trent in 1545. The council met over nearly two decades and defined Catholic doctrine on the sacraments and scripture, ended abuses such as the sale of indulgences, and required seminaries for the training of priests. New religious orders, above all the Jesuits, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, led missionary and educational work. The Roman Inquisition and the Index of Prohibited Books were used to defend orthodoxy, and baroque art and architecture were encouraged to inspire the faithful. The end date of 1648 coincides with the Peace of Westphalia, though historians differ about when the movement ended.
Before and after
- 1543De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
- 1543Copernicus publishes On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
- 1543Vesalius publishes De humani corporis fabrica
- 24 May 1543Death of Nicolaus Copernicus
- from 1545 to 1648Counter-Reformation
- from 13 December 1545 to 21 February 1563Council of Trent
- 18 February 1546Death of Martin Luther
- from 10 July 1546 to 23 May 1547Schmalkaldic War
- 14 December 1546Birth of Tycho Brahe
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1602Publication of Hamlet
- 1652Origins of Quakers
- c. 1653The Taj Mahal is completed
- 1661Construction of Palace of Versailles
- from c. 1730s to 1780sRise of Rococo
- 1759Construction of British Museum
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.