The Religioensvrede and the Reformation
The Religioensvrede (1578) sought to facilitate the coexistence of Catholicism and the new religious confessions known as the Reformation. The Reformation was a group of movements that tried to reform the religious teachings, practices and institutions of Christianity in the sixteenth century. Up to the end of the fifteenth century, Christianity in Western and Central Europe was uniformly under the authority and leadership of the pope and was known as the Catholic Church. At the turn of fifteenth century, various developments led to a contestation of Catholicism. Influential scholars began to pay more attention to original sources. The Holy Scriptures were also analysed in this way. Moreover, due to the role of the pope as a political leader in Italy, he became a subject of criticism, especially concerning the increasing issuing of indulgences to fund the Church. Martin Luther, as well as Huldrych Zwingli and, later, John Calvin led these movements. They broke with numerous Catholic practices such as the cult of saints, celibacy, and some of the sacraments. All sought to come to a more direct relation between believers and God. Initially, these movements aimed at internal changes within the Catholic Church. But as the Church strongly rejected them, they began to develop separate church structures.
The Religioensvrede (1578) was an arrangement to allow the living together of Catholics and Protestants in the Low Countries. The Low Countries were a region that roughly covered current day Belgium and The Netherlands. In the years before 1578, the government of the Low Countries had only allowed Catholicism and had prosecuted Protestants. In regions taken over by Protestants, Catholics were treated badly and they encountered violence. The army of Spain supported the Catholic government of the Low Countries. The army’s soldiers fought Protestants, but also harassed many Catholics. Moderate Catholics and Protestants from the Low Countries made peace with each other joined together in their opposition to the Spanish army. To sustain that peace, they developed a set of rules, obligations and prohibitions to facilitate that Catholics and Protestants could live together. These various measures were listed in the Religioensvrede.
Further information about the Religioensvrede and Amsterdam can be found at On Site, In Time.
For more information on this and other peace treaties, see
Title
The Religioensvrede and the Reformation
content
The Religioensvrede (1578) sought to facilitate the coexistence of Catholicism and the new religious confessions known as the Reformation. The Reformation was a group of movements that tried to reform the religious teachings, practices and institutions of Christianity in the sixteenth century. Up to the end of the fifteenth century, Christianity in Western and Central Europe was uniformly under the authority and leadership of the pope and was known as the Catholic Church. At the turn of fifteenth century, various developments led to a contestation of Catholicism. Influential scholars began to pay more attention to original sources. The Holy Scriptures were also analysed in this way. Moreover, due to the role of the pope as a political leader in Italy, he became a subject of criticism, especially concerning the increasing issuing of indulgences to fund the Church. Martin Luther, as well as Huldrych Zwingli and, later, John Calvin led these movements. They broke with numerous Catholic practices such as the cult of saints, celibacy, and some of the sacraments. All sought to come to a more direct relation between believers and God. Initially, these movements aimed at internal changes within the Catholic Church. But as the Church strongly rejected them, they began to develop separate church structures.
Description
This clipping clarifies what the new religious ideas and movements of the sixteenth century were.
Context
The Religioensvrede (1578) was an arrangement to allow the living together of Catholics and Protestants in the Low Countries. The Low Countries were a region that roughly covered current day Belgium and The Netherlands. In the years before 1578, the government of the Low Countries had only allowed Catholicism and had prosecuted Protestants. In regions taken over by Protestants, Catholics were treated badly and they encountered violence. The army of Spain supported the Catholic government of the Low Countries. The army’s soldiers fought Protestants, but also harassed many Catholics. Moderate Catholics and Protestants from the Low Countries made peace with each other joined together in their opposition to the Spanish army. To sustain that peace, they developed a set of rules, obligations and prohibitions to facilitate that Catholics and Protestants could live together. These various measures were listed in the Religioensvrede.
Questions
What is and was the impact of new religious ideas, practices and movements? Why are, and were, they successful? Why might they cause conflicts?
Temporal Coverage
16th century
Spatial Coverage
Europe
Netherlands
Subject
Is Referenced By
Audience
Yes
Creator
Christophe Schellekens