Religious Wars in Europe

World History I

Philip II of Spain

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, leading to the French Wars of Religion.

• 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.

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.

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 in the Netherlands, one of Spain’s richest provinces.

– The Calvinists in the Netherlands 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.

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 i

n 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– Spain had gone bankrupt from financing wars.• The armed forces were outdated and the government was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.

The Spanish Empire at its height, 1580

England Under Elizabeth I• When Elizabeth Tudor became queen of England,

the nation had less than 4 million people.• 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 in foreign and

religious policy.• Elizabeth repealed laws favoring Catholics.• She tried to balance power by siding with weak nations.• Elizabeth feared that war with other European kingdoms

would be a disaster for England.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 1588• Philip II sent an armada (fleet of warships) to invade

England.• He thought the English would turn on their queen and side

with Spain, which would allow him to overthrow Protestantism.

– Spain 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.

Above: The Defeat of the Spanish Armada.

Right: Path the Spanish Armada took in attacking England.