Counter-Reformation
Also called: Catholic Reformation · Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Changing Cultural Traditions"
Meaning
The Counter-Reformation, also called the Catholic Reformation, was the Catholic Church's effort to reform itself from within. It was a response to the spread of Protestantism in the sixteenth century. Its centres were Spain and Italy. There, churchmen stressed simple living and service to the poor, and worked to win people back to the Catholic faith.
Example
In Spain, Ignatius Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540 to fight Protestantism. Its members, the Jesuits, set out to serve the poor and to learn more about other cultures.
Don't confuse with
- Protestant Reformation: Luther's movement (1517) broke away from the Pope. The Counter-Reformation reformed the Church while staying loyal to him.
Related concepts
- Christian humanism
- Thomas More
- Erasmus
- Indulgences
- Donation of Constantine
- Martin Luther
- Ninety-Five Theses
- Protestant Reformation
- John Calvin
- English Reformation