The Role Of Protestant Reformation In Northern Europe

Influencing this period was religious reformation in Europe. Protestant Reformation sought to establish a Christian culture that did not coincide with many aspects of Catholism. People left the Catholic church to enter other Christian Protestant movements that were not controlled by the Holy Roman Empire. This fragmented Western Europe and led to the Thirty Year’s War which lasted form 1618 until 1648 thereby grounding Protestantism throughout much of Northern Europe (38). The Catholic Church began internal and external movements. Externally a movement of Counter-Reformation to win back Protestants and return them to Catholism. Internally, they began reform programs addressing papal and monastic processes (38).