Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Catholic Reformation
(5,118 words)

1. Terminology

The response of the Catholic Church (usually called the “Old Church” in the Reformation period) to the Reformation began gradually. Historians have coined various terms for it. Today there is still no term that covers both the efforts at reform within the Church during the 16th century and the attempt to win back the Church’s lost socio-political terrain. The competing terms include Catholic Reformation,  Counter-Reformation, Catholic confessionalization, and recatholization.

The reac…

Cite this page
Decot, Rolf, Walther, Gerrit and Kanz, Roland, “Catholic Reformation”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_022022>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20160907



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