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Aug 18, 1516
Concordat of Bologna
The Concordat of Bologna was an agreement between the pope and Francis I which gate supremacy to the papacy. Francis I got the power to appoint church officials, which gave him more power and the church less power. Consequently, France was never tempted to go Protestant because the French monarchy already controlled Catholicism. -
Jan 1, 1534
Act of Supremacy
The Act of Supremacy establisedh the English monarch, Elizabeth I, as the official head of the Church of England, instead of the Pope in Rome. Elizabeth took the title, 'Supreme Governor of the Church of England.' However, she controlled the church only in a political sense. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg was declared to put an end to religious turmoil by saying that the prince of each territory can pick to enforce Lutheranism or Catholicism. It was not successful however, because it failed to recognize Calvinism as an accepted religion, but princes chose it anyway. -
Jan 1, 1559
Act of Uniformity
The Act of Uniformity made use of The Book of Common Prayer mandatory, and said everyone must attend church or be fined. It was a way to unify the English by requiring outward conformit to Protestantism. As part of the "Elizabethan Settlement," this act was seen as a compromise. -
Nov 30, 1567
Council of Blood
Also known as The Council of Troubles, this council 's job was to try cases of suspected treason committed by Protestant rebels against the Catholic government imposed by Spain. It was created by the Duke of Alba. -
Oct 7, 1571
Battle of Lepanto
Philip of Spain allied with the Holy League, including the Pope and wanted to stop the spread of the Ottoman Turks. In this Battle, Catholics were fighting Muslims. This was a good move on Philip's part because his victory wins him control over the Mediterranean Sea. -
Aug 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Catherine de Medici ordered the murder of Coligny, fearing that he was becoming too powerful. Coligny was the leader of the Protestant cause, so he was the target of her attack, but it turned out to be a mass murder of the Huguenots in Paris. The Huguenot forces greatly suffered. -
Jan 23, 1579
Union of Utrecht
In the Union of Utrecht, the northern provinces of the Netherlands declared their independence from Spain. They were now Calvinists. The Southern Provinces remained loyal and became the Spanish Netherlands. This union contributes to the anger between England and Spain and is a factor in Spain's collapse. -
War of Three Henrys
The War of the Three Henrys, fought by Catholics (Henry III of France and Henry of Guise) and Protestants (Henry of Navarre), was the last religious war to take place in France. After the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, Henry of Navarre became the Huguenot 's leader and King Henry III attempted to rally Catholic forces. King Henry III viewed Henry of Guise as a threat and had him assasinated. Henry of Navarre became King Henry IV, the first Bourbon king of France and succeeded in making peace. -
Attack of the Spanish Armada
Philip had a long list of grievances toward Elizabeth I of England so he launched an attack on the English thinking of an easy win because of his extraordinary navy. However, English ships outmaneuvered the Spanish and took advantage of their geographical position on the English Channel. Philip made a poor decision in attacking the English because he acted out of anger. England was not a real threat, just an annoyance. 1588 was a turning point because it did signaled the steady decline of Spain. -
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, granted by Henry IV, gave rights to Huguenots in Catholic France and allowed them to worship in specific areas. Henry was trying to promote political unity. The edict put an end to the religious wars that had plagued France. -
Defenestration of Prague
At the Defenestration of Prague, Protestants threw several Catholic bishops out of a castle window in Bohemia. The Catholics atributed their survival to an intercession of the Virgin Mary, while Protestants said it was simply because they landed in a large pile of horse manure. This event started the Thirty Years War. -
Edict of Restitution
The Edict of Restitution was Ferdinand II's attempt to restore territory and religious settlements to the way it was after the Peace of Augsburhg. The Edict was later revoked by the Peace of Prague. -
Peace of Westphalia
The Peace of Westphalia reaffirmed the terms of the Peace of Augsburg and extended it to include Calvinism. This divides the empire even further. The losers were Spain (they continue to fight and lose), Habsburgs (lose contorol) and the German States (economic devastation). The winners were France, Sweden (gain land), Netherlands (gain independence), Calvinists (gain recognition) and German princes (became autonomous). From 1648 on, religious would cease to be a motive in war. -
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
The Catholics were plotting to kill Elizabeth and replace her with her cousin, Mary Queen of Scots. Scotland did not want Mary because she is Catholic so they replace her with her son. Elizabeth's council discovers Mary's plot and is found guilty of treason. Elizabeth struggled to sign the death warrant because Mary was her cousin and it is never a good thing to kill another monarch. Mary's execution was the last straw for Philip of Spain and feeds into his attack of the Spanish Armada.
