Counter Attack: The Catholic Response to the Spread of Protestantism

In the second decade of the sixteenth century, a powerful movement known as the Protestant reformation began in northern Germany. This movement was born out of widespread discontent with the reigning Catholic church. Though initially slow to respond to the challenges of the reformation, the Catholic church eventually responded in a vigorous manner to the threats of spreading Protestantism.
The Protestant reformation began in 1517 when Martin Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the door the castle church in Wittenberg. Luther was an Augustinian monk and a professor at the University…