Unit: Renewal in Europe
Lesson Title:
The Effects of the Reformation
(See textbook pages 340-345)
The breakup of the Roman Catholic Church
during the Reformation created great religious
and political division in Europe.
Countries in northern Europe (like England,
Scotland, Norway and Sweden) were Protestant.
Countries in southern Europe (Spain, France,
and the Papal States in Italy) were Catholic.
The Holy Roman Empire (Germany and part of
eastern Europe) became a patchwork of small
kingdoms.
The prince in each kingdom chose the religion
for his territory.
What do you think the religious differences and
political division would lead to in Europe?
The religious and political division between Catholics
and Protestants led to great violence and war in France
and the Holy Roman Empire in the 1600s.
The violence was over Catholic supremacy, Protestant
rights, and the competition for power among kings.
In class reading activity
Read “Religious Wars” on pages 342-344.
Answer these questions:
1. What caused the war in France in the late 1500s?
2. Who ended the war in France and how did he end it?
3. What caused the Thirty Years’ War and who fought in
it?
4. What was the outcome of the Thirty Years’ War and its
impact on Europe?
The Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) was a series of wars
and one of the bloodiest and longest conflicts in the
history of Europe.
The war grew beyond religious differences. Countries,
including the Holy Roman Empire, France, Spain,
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden fought for power,
control of territory, and over trade rights.
The Protestant Reformation and the violence that
followed lessened the power of the Catholic Church in
Europe.
The Thirty Years’ War ended the Holy Roman Empire.
After the war, Europe had more countries and states.
Right Side Notebook Activity
Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers never
intended for there to be religious wars—but war was a
consequence of the Protestant Reformation in Europe.
Read the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution on
page R-18. The Amendment says our government
cannot establish a religion, nor force the people of the
United States to follow a certain religion or prevent
them from following a certain religion.
Think about the trouble in Europe that followed the
Protestant Reformation. Write a paragraph on how
things would have been different in Europe following
the Protestant Reformation if all the leaders knew and
followed the First Amendment.
Create a Time Line—Pgs. 342-344
Create a time line of the religious wars. Your time
line should end with the Treaty of Westphalia.
Write a sentence summary under each year.
You need to illustrate 3 of the dates. Time lines
will include these dates:
1534, 1562, 1572, 1598, 1618, 1648