Gutenberg printing press helps spread new political, artistic, and religious ideas through Europe. The first printed book was a Bible printed in the Latin Language in about 1455.
Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas.
Erasmus wrote a book that named problems in church. His work laid the foundations for Luther's Reformation.
The 95 thesis was a list of complaints about the church in Writtenberg. Thanks to the newly invented printed press, copies of Luther's complaints spread spread to neighboring German states. The Ninety - Five Theses criticized the church and many of it's practices, especially the sale of indulgences.
William Tyndale - translated the bible into English. This allowed people to read the bible and start to question the practices or corrupt church leaders.
He founded the Jesuits ( the Society of Jesus). The Jesuits were one of the major spearheads of the Counter-Reformation.
King Henry VIII of England breaks away from the Catholic Church and founds the Anglican Church.
He was one of the original Jesuits and one of the greatest missionaries of all time. He was invited to go to the East Indies by John the third of Portugal.
To enforce their decision, the Spanish monarchs ordered the Spanish Inquisition to find and punish any Muslims or Jews left in Spain. Its members hunted down and punished converted Muslims and Jews who were suspected o keeping their old beliefs.
The new religions orders were one response to reform, but many Catholic leaders felt that more change was needed. They decided to call together a council of church leaders.
French Protestants were called Huguenots. A series of conflicts between Catholics and Huguenots led to years of bloody war.
Catholics attack and kill Protestants in France in the St. Batholomew's Day Massacre.
Edict of Nantes granting religious freedom in most of France.
Ended the Thirty Year' War. It allowed rulers to determine whether their countries would be Catholic or Protestant. This is the beginnings of freedom of religion in the United States.
