1491- The Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, was founded by a Spanish nobleman, Ignatius of Loyola, 1491- 1556. Loyola was in many ways the antithesis of Martin Luther. Though he believed in Luther's fundamental interpretation of church theology, his means to attain salvation was born out of absolute adherence to …

1555- Though many reforms had occurred in the Catholic church there were those who tried to impose a structure based on past ideals. Pope Paul IV, 1555- 1559

was considered to be a counter-reformation pope because of his traditional interpretations of religious doctrine. Paul IV created the Papal Index and …

1525- Following the path paved by the Protestant Reforms the Anabaptists pushed for further reformation of church doctrine. Anabaptists tended to be peasants and working poor. The Anabaptists believed in adult baptism, rather than infant baptism, taking the approach that all believers were baptized into the church of their own …

1555- The Protestant Reformation instigated a spate of religious turmoil and warfare throughout Europe, since few states and officials could agree on the fate of the two intertwined yet conflicting ecclesiastical disciplines. Wars between Italy, Spain, Germany and the Turks marked the period until the Peace of Augsburg. The Peace …

1520

In response to Martin Luther's strong condemnation of church doctrine, Holy Roman Emperor Charles~V, 1519- 1556 convened a meeting to force Luther to recant his heretical stance. Undaunted, Luther stood fast, and proclaimed that [paraphrase] he had arrived at his beliefs based on the word of God, and …

1483- 1546 - Martin Luther was an educated man who dedicated himself to monastic life at the age of twenty-two. Luther became obsessed with a simple question: What is the minimum one must do to attain salvation? Luther believed that church doctrine set an impossible task before anyone wishing to attain …