The Protestant Reformation was a religious movement that split Western Christianity, usually dated from Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses in 1517. Luther was soon joined by reformers such as Huldrych Zwingli in Zurich and John Calvin in Geneva, while in England Henry VIII broke with Rome for political reasons and the English church later took a Protestant direction. The printing press helped spread new ideas and vernacular Bibles. The Catholic Church responded with the Council of Trent and a Catholic reform movement known as the Counter-Reformation. The religious divisions led to a long series of wars, ended by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, and they permanently shaped the politics, education and culture of Europe.
Before and after
- 28 March 1515Birth of Teresa of Ávila
- from 13 September 1515 to 14 September 1515Battle of Marignano
- from 1516 to 1517Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17
- 18 February 1516Birth of Mary I
- from 31 October 1517 to 1 January 1648Protestant Reformation
- 31 October 1517Ninety-five Theses
- 31 October 1517Origins of Lutheranism
- 10 November 1517Origins of Protestantism
- 1518Dancing Plague of 1518
More in Art, literature & culture
- c. 1500sMona Lisa
- from 1545 to 1648Counter-Reformation
- 1563Construction of Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
- 1565Construction of Agra Fort
- 1622Publication of Othello
- from 17th century to 19th centuryAge of Enlightenment
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.