
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival,
was the period of
Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the
Protestant Reformation. It began with the
Council of Trent (1545–1563) and largely ended with the conclusion of the
European wars of religion
The European wars of religion were a series of wars waged in Europe during the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. Fought after the Protestant Reformation began in 1517, the wars disrupted the religious and political order in the Catholic Chu ...
in 1648. Initiated to address the effects of the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort composed of
apologetic and
polemical documents and