Editing History of Europe (section)

===Reformation===
{{Main|Reformation}}
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[[File:Habsburg Map 1547.jpg|thumb|[[House of Habsburg|Habsburg]] realms (green) under [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor]]]]
With the development of the [[printing press]], new ideas spread throughout Europe and challenged traditional doctrines in science and theology. Simultaneously, the Reformation under German [[Martin Luther]] questioned Papal authority. The most common dating of the Reformation begins in 1517, when Luther published ''[[The Ninety-Five Theses]]'', and concludes in 1648 with the [[Treaty of Westphalia]] that ended years of [[European wars of religion|European religious wars]].<ref>Euan Cameron, ''The European Reformation'' (1991)</ref>

During this period corruption in the Catholic Church led to a sharp backlash in the Protestant Reformation. It gained many followers especially among princes and kings seeking a stronger state by ending the influence of the Catholic Church. Figures other than [[Martin Luther]] began to emerge as well like [[John Calvin]] whose [[Calvinism]] had influence in many countries and King [[Henry VIII]] of England who broke away from the Catholic Church in England and set up the [[Anglican Church]]. These religious divisions brought on a wave of wars inspired and driven by religion but also by the ambitious monarchs in Western Europe who were becoming more centralized and powerful.

The Protestant Reformation also led to a strong reform movement in the Catholic Church called the [[Counter-Reformation]], which aimed to reduce corruption as well as to improve and strengthen Catholic dogma. Two important groups in the Catholic Church who emerged from this movement were the [[Jesuits]], who helped keep Spain, Portugal, Poland, and other European countries within the Catholic fold, and the Oratorians of [[Saint Philip Neri]], who ministered to the faithful in Rome, restoring their confidence in the Church of Jesus Christ that subsisted substantially in the Church of Rome. Still, the Catholic Church was somewhat weakened by the Reformation, portions of Europe were no longer under its sway and kings in the remaining Catholic countries began to take control of the church institutions within their kingdoms.

Unlike many European countries at the time, the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] was notably tolerant of the Protestant movement, as well the [[Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711)|Principality of Transylvania]]. A degree of tolerance was also displayed in [[Ottoman Hungary]]. While still enforcing the predominance of Catholicism, they continued to allow the large religious minorities to maintain their faiths, traditions and customs. The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth became divided among Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Jews and a small Muslim population.

[[File:Europe As A Queen Sebastian Munster 1570.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Europa regina]], 1570 print by [[Sebastian Münster]] of [[Basel]]]]

Another development was the idea of 'European superiority'. There was a movement by some such as [[Michel de Montaigne|Montaigne]] that regarded the non-Europeans as a better, more natural and primitive people. Post services were founded all over Europe, which allowed a [[Renaissance humanism|humanistic]] interconnected network of intellectuals across Europe, despite religious divisions. However, the Roman Catholic Church banned many leading scientific works; this led to an intellectual advantage for Protestant countries, where the banning of books was regionally organised. [[Francis Bacon]] and other advocates of science tried to create unity in Europe by focusing on the unity in nature. In the 15th century, at the end of the Middle Ages, powerful sovereign states were appearing, built by the [[New Monarchs]] who were centralising power in France, England, and Spain. On the other hand, the Parliament in the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] grew in power, taking legislative rights from the Polish king. The new state power was contested by parliaments in other countries especially England. New kinds of states emerged which were co-operation agreements among territorial rulers, cities, farmer republics and knights.

[[File:Alberico Gentili.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Alberico Gentili]], the father of international law]]