The Catholic Reformation and the Wars of Religion

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on the Catholic Reformation and the Wars of Religion.

Catholic Reformation

Internal reform of the Catholic Church from within; aimed to strengthen Catholic doctrine, education, and discipline to combat Protestantism.

Counter-Reformation

Another name for the Catholic Reformation, emphasizing its defensive and repressive measures against Protestantism.

Council of Trent

1545–1563 ecumenical council that defined Catholic doctrine, reaffirmed tradition and the sacraments, rejected salvation by faith alone, and strengthened clerical discipline.

Transubstantiation

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

Written books and unwritten traditions

Council decreed that God’s truths are contained in both Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Latin liturgy

Standardized Latin language for Catholic worship established by the Council of Trent.

Ignatius of Loyola

Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1540; promoted spiritual exercises, education, and missionary work.

Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

Catholic religious order dedicated to education, missions, and reform; organized with a disciplined structure.

Spiritual Exercises

Ignatius’s 1548 manual emphasizing meditation, discernment, and personal faith.

Teresa of Ávila

Spanish Carmelite nun and mystic who wrote The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection; stressed prayer and contemplation.

Inquisition

Religious tribunals established to suppress heresy; part of the Counter-Reformation’s coercive measures.

Index of Forbidden Books

List of writings prohibited by the Catholic Church to curb Protestant influence.

St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre

1572 massacre of Huguenots in Paris and other towns, signaling intensified Catholic-Protestant conflict.

Edict of Nantes

1598 decree granting substantial religious toleration and civil rights to French Protestants.

Henry IV of France

Protestant king who converted to Catholicism to unify France; famous line: “Paris is worth a mass.”

Huguenots

French Protestants (Calvinists) who faced severe persecution during the Wars of Religion.

Catherine de Medici

Queen mother who pursued a politique approach, attempting compromise with Protestants and enabling both violence and peace efforts.

Thirty Years’ War

1618–1648 conflict in Central Europe mixing dynastic, political, and religious rivalries, ending with a balance of power and Westphalia.

Bohemian Defenestration (1618)

Event in which Catholic officials were thrown from a Prague window, igniting the Bohemian phase of the war.

Gustavus Adolphus

King of Sweden, Lutheran hero and general who led the Swedish phase of the war with several key victories.

Battle of White Mountain

1620 decisive imperial victory near Prague that crushed Bohemian Protestant resistance.

Cardinal Richelieu

French chief minister who steered France’s participation in the Thirty Years’ War to curb Habsburg power.

Peace of Westphalia

1648 settlement ending the Thirty Years’ War; established religious tolerance, a balance of power, and a divided Holy Roman Empire.

Treaty of Münster/Osnabrück

Part of the Westphalia settlements; Münster dealt with France and Osnabrück with Sweden, formalizing peace and recognizing political changes.

The Witch-hunts

Widespread 17th-century persecutions believing in demonic witches, resulting in tens of thousands of executions, mainly women.

Bamberg Witch Trials

1626–1631 witch trials in Bamberg illustrating judicial procedures and mass accusations during the period.