How Did The Protestant Reformation Affect European Rivalries?
Disagreement over religion led to conflicts between people and nations of Europe. Martin Luther and others started a religious movement known as the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Reformers were called Protestants because they protested some practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Spain was Roman Catholic, since the English had their own church called the Anglican Church, or the Church of England founded by King Henry VIII, Spain and England were rivals. The Spanish dominated the seas with their powerful navy known as the Spanish Armada. King Phillip of Spain sent the Spanish Armada to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and the Anglican Church. The Armada’s defeat saw the decline of Spain’s power. As Spain’s power declined, other European nations began to found colonies in the Americas.
