Reformation and Counter-Reformation: Key Concepts and Figures in Church History

German Peasant's Revolt

An uprising inspired by the Reformation, crushed with Luther's disapproval.

Pluralism

The practice of holding multiple church offices at once.

Absenteeism

The failure of church officials to serve their assigned areas.

Brethren of the Common Life

A Dutch religious group promoting piety and education before the Reformation.

Council of Trent

A Catholic council that reaffirmed doctrine and reformed church abuses.

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic response to Protestantism, with reforms and reaffirmation of doctrine.

Holy Office

The Catholic institution responsible for enforcing religious orthodoxy.

Elizabethan Settlement

A religious compromise under Elizabeth I in England, establishing the Church of England.

Act of Restraint of Appeals

A law declaring the English monarch supreme in legal matters.

Benefices

Church positions offering income, often subject to abuse.

Peace of Augsburg

A treaty allowing German princes to choose either Lutheranism or Catholicism for their territories.

Ninety-five Theses

Luther's critique of the sale of indulgences, which sparked the Reformation.

Preacherships

Clergy roles focused more on preaching sermons than on administering sacraments.

Roman Catholicism

A branch of Christianity centered on papal authority and sacraments.

Lutheranism

A Protestant faith emphasizing scripture and salvation by faith alone.

Calvinism

A Protestant belief in predestination and strict moral discipline.

Anabaptism

A radical sect advocating for adult baptism and church-state separation.

Church of England

The national church established by Henry VIII after his break with Rome.

Presbyterian Church of Scotland

A Calvinist church led by elders, founded by John Knox.

Sacrament

A sacred rite believed to confer divine grace.

Consubstantiation

The Lutheran belief that Christ's presence exists alongside the bread and wine in the Eucharist.

Transubstantiation

The Catholic belief that the bread and wine in the Eucharist become the actual body and blood of Christ.

Indulgence

A church-granted pardon of penalties for sins.

Predestination

The Calvinist doctrine that salvation is preordained by God.

Genevan Consistory

A Calvinist court that enforced moral discipline in Geneva.

Supremacy Act of 1534

A law declaring Henry VIII the supreme head of the Church of England.

Puritans

English Protestants seeking further reform within the Anglican Church.

Tridentine Decrees

The rulings of the Council of Trent that reaffirmed Catholic doctrine and practices.

Catholic Reformation

The internal movement within the Catholic Church to address corruption and reform practices.

Jesuits

A Catholic religious order focused on education, missionary work, and the defense of Catholicism.

Ursuline Order

A Catholic women's order dedicated to education and the promotion of piety.

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros

A Spanish reformer who promoted clerical education before the Reformation.

John Knox

A Scottish reformer who founded the Presbyterian Church.

Pope Paul III

The pope who launched the Council of Trent in response to Protestantism.

Ulrich Zwingli

A Swiss reformer who rejected the Catholic sacraments.

John Tetzel

A Dominican friar infamous for selling indulgences.

Henry VIII

The English king who broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England.

Charles V

The Holy Roman Emperor who opposed the spread of Protestantism.

Mary Tudor

The Catholic queen of England known for her persecution of Protestants.

Pope Alexander VI

A corrupt Renaissance pope known for his nepotism and political manipulation.

On Christian Liberty

A work by Martin Luther that emphasizes salvation by faith alone.

Augsburg Confession

The Lutheran doctrinal statement presented in 1530 to defend Lutheran beliefs.

Jan Hus

A Bohemian reformer burned at the stake for heresy.

Magisterial Reforms

Reforms in the church that were supported or enacted by secular rulers.

Thomas More

A Catholic humanist executed by Henry VIII for opposing the king's divorce and the formation of the Church of England.

Erasmus

A Christian humanist who criticized church corruption but opposed radical reform.

Nepotism

The practice of favoring relatives for church positions.

Simony

The act of buying or selling church offices.

St. Theresa of Avila

A mystic who reformed the Carmelite Order and promoted spiritual renewal.

Angela Merici

The founder of the Ursuline Order, which promoted the education of girls.

Roman Inquisition

The Catholic tribunal that sought to root out heresy within the Church.

Index of Prohibited Books

A list of books banned by the Catholic Church for their heretical content.

Elizabeth I

The queen who stabilized Protestantism in England and solidified the Anglican Church.

Book of Common Prayer

The Anglican worship text that standardized public prayers and services in the Church of England.

Huguenots

French Calvinists who were persecuted during the religious wars in France.

Colloquy of Marburg

A failed 1529 meeting of Protestant leaders attempting to unify their differing views.

Johann Eck

A Catholic theologian known for his debates with Martin Luther.

Religious Orders

Groups like the Jesuits and Ursulines dedicated to Catholic renewal through education, missions, and piety.

Christian III

The Danish king who made Lutheranism the official religion of Denmark.

Gustavus Vasa

The Swedish king who embraced Lutheranism and established it in Sweden.

Pilgrimage of Grace

A 1536 uprising against Henry VIII's religious reforms in England.

Institutes of the Christian Religion

The key theological work of John Calvin outlining his beliefs, particularly predestination.

King Sigismund I

The Polish king who resisted the spread of Protestantism in Poland.

Magyars

An ethnic group in Hungary, some of whom converted to Protestantism.

Suleiman the Magnificent

The Ottoman Sultan who expanded his empire and challenged the Habsburgs.