Religious Europe
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The 16th century is dominated with difficulties in religion.
In 1517, Maarten Luther writes his 30 Theorems. Three years later the Church of Rome abandons him and he founds his on protestant Church.
Political leaders now have to choose what to do with the new religion and many of them will follow Luther.
But the Catholics won�t leave it like that and start a war against them. Germany is the greatest victim. It existed out of many counties with their own local leaders, many of them became Protestants. But the Emperor was a Catholic and would like everyone in his dominion to be too. After the Schmalkaldian War (1546-1555), the Empire was totally destroyed and was of no political or cultural importance anymore.
In France there was a war against the Huguenots, the Protestants. They were persecuted and on Saint- Bartholomew�s night (1572), many of them were slaughtered in Paris.
The persecution would end when Henri of Navarre became king Henri IV, he was a protestant himself, and declared the Edict of Nantes (1598). Two years later he conversed to the catholic religion, but the Protestants would not be persecuted anymore for the next 50 years.
In England, the Anglican Church was founded, a Church where the king himself was the head. In its first years, it followed the catholic religion. Henry VIII had never had the intention of changing hat. But during the reign of Edward VI and Elizabeth I, that would change. After May I had persecuted the Protestants, Elizabeth would promise never to do the same to the Catholics, but at some points, she had no choice. She recorded the rules of the religion, which was influenced by Calvin. Those are still the rules followed now.
The Netherlands were split up, because the North was Protestant and the South catholic. The Spanish King, Philip II, was a heavy catholic and he would not let the North go.This war would last 80 years (1568-1648).
Spain had the feared Inquisition that was rampant.
The wars in Europe kept going on until a peace was signed at Wesfalen in 1648. All countries needed the time to be totally rebuilt. But unfortunately, not all religious problems were solved and they still aren�t.
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