Religious Wars in Europe

1. Religious Wars in Europe World History I Philip II of Spain

2. French Religious Wars • By 1560, Calvinism and Catholicism had become highly militant (combative) religions. • They were trying to win converts and eliminate each other’s authority. • The French Wars of Religion were especially devastating. • Causes of the French Wars of Religion: • 1. French kings persecuted the Protestants. • 2. Many French nobles converted to the Huguenots (French Protestants influenced by Calvin). • Towns and provinces were willing to help the nobles weaken the monarchy, creating a base of opposition to the king.

3. French Religious Wars, Cont. • The Catholics and Huguenots battled for 30 years. • In 1589, Henry of Navarre, a Huguenot, took over the throne as Henry IV. • He realized that as a Protestant, he would never be accepted by the Catholics in France, so he converted to Catholicism. • In 1598, the king issued the Edict of Nantes. • It declared Catholicism as the official religion of France. • It also gave the Huguenots the right to worship and enjoy all political privileges, including holding office.

4. Philip II and Militant Catholicism • King Philip II of Spain was the greatest supporter of militant Catholicism in the 16th century. • Philip insisted on conforming to Catholicism in his territories, leading to conflict. • Philip attempted to strengthen his control over the Netherlands, one of Spain’s richest provinces, but nobles opposed his efforts. • The Calvinists rebelled, and Philip used his military to crush the rebellion. • Resistance led by William the Silent continued until 1609, when a truce ended the war. • The northern provinces began calling themselves the United Provinces of the Netherlands.

5. Spain After Philip II • When Philip’s reign ended in 1598, Spain was the most populous empire in the world. • Spain controlled almost all of South America and settlements in Africa and Asia. • Spain had gone bankrupt from financing wars. • The armed forces were outdated and the government was inefficient. • Power in Europe now belonged to England and France.

6. The Spanish Empire at its height, 1580

7. England Under Elizabeth • When Elizabeth Tudor became queen of England, the nation had less than 4 million people. • Elizabeth repealed laws favoring Catholics. • A new Act of Supremacy named Elizabeth as the “only supreme governor” of both the church and state. • She was a Protestant, but was moderate. • Elizabeth was also moderate in her foreign policy. • She tried to balance power by siding with weak nations. • Elizabeth feared that war with other European kingdoms would be a disaster for England.

8. Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588 • Philip II wanted to invade England. • He thought the English would turn on their queen and side with Spain. • If this happened, he could also overthrow Protestantism. • Philip sent an armada, a fleet of warships to invade England. • They didn’t have the ships or manpower to defeat England. • After being battered by England, the Spanish fleet attempted to sail back to Spain around Scotland and Ireland. • The Spanish fleet was pounded by storms, where many of the ships sunk.

9. Above: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada. Right: Path the Spanish Armada took in attacking England.