What were the effects of the counter-reformation.?
The Counter-Reformation was, of course, an attempt on the part of the Catholic Church to combat the effects of the Protestant Reformation and, like most such movements, met with varied success. The Jesuits were a factor in this; many of them went to Germany and “re-evangelized,” if you will, and reconciled some areas in Germany to the Catholic Church. They were also known for sending English-born priests back to England for the purpose of ministering to Catholics (and converting Protestants); they weren’t very successful in the latter case and many of them, such as Edmund Campion and Robert Southey (to name only two) paid for their efforts with their lives. Another, lesser-known aspect of the Counter Reformation is the change that came about in the Carmelite convents in Spain, largely due to the efforts of one woman, Teresa of Avila, who established a stricter (some might even say harsher) Rule for these nunneries, which had become rather lax over the centuries. Her efforts spread to t
