It may seem ASB, but is there anyway to get the most catholic coutry in Europe other then Italy to go Protestant? What factors were present in Germany and not in Spain that allowed the former to have a reformation?
Have Spain break with the Pope to create a "national Catholic" church that then slowly diverges from Catholic norms.
Of course, Spain being Spain at this time, such a church might be more Catholic than the main Catholic Church.
This, though you might see some Caesaropapism in such an arrangement, somewhat akin to Henry VIII's vision of an English Church.
Things that helped catholicism in Spain:
- The Inquisition rooting out anything remotly heretic
- The threat by the Ottoman & Barbary Pirate fleets
- Prestige through New World Conquests and Reconquisita
There was historically a difference between thought process in dealing with Pagans or other branches of Christianity (Rus Orthodox) than Muslims. Look at the Northern Crusades v. the Levantine. So too the Teutonic knights were eventually destroyed as a political force by fellow Catholics.The corruption of the Borgia popes alienated everyone, and militancy was historically far from a certain barrier to protestantism: the Teutonic Knights also had a crusading heritage, but turned into Prussia anyway. Perhaps if before Luther Spain winds up in a nasty enough dispute with the Papal States (say over Naples), and gets a bishop willing to preach and a monarch angry enough to listen, it could spark its own reformation, although it'd certainly look very different in some regards - the Spanish Inquisition being used on Catholics, for instance.
It may seem ASB, but is there anyway to get the most catholic coutry in Europe other then Italy to go Protestant? What factors were present in Germany and not in Spain that allowed the former to have a reformation?
That was an accident.
But that would still leave her Catholic. We need a Spain that has broken with the church in Rome which I think has to happen before Charles though I like your point about the forces unleashed by the New World could take a different path. I don't see how you have a Reconquista in before the Ottomans without Catholicism--but I'd want to here more about this as it sounds potentially interesting.Yes, but still Charles was not exactly friendly to the Pope at that point.
Well, I know he felt like the Defender of the Catholic Faith, but I still think that Spain could have her Reformation going with an adequate PoD.
But that would still leave her Catholic. We need a Spain that has broken with the church in Rome which I think has to happen before Charles though I like your point about the forces unleashed by the New World could take a different path. I don't see how you have a Reconquista in before the Ottomans without Catholicism--but I'd want to here more about this as it sounds potentially interesting.
I think the forces unleashed by the Reconquista after it was completed are necessarily highly orthodox Roman Catholic. If you change the Reconquista you might change what forces are unleashed but if you delay the Reconquista then it's possible it never finishes because of the Ottomans helping Granada or no Isabella. If you make an earlier Reconquista completion you might change the forces unleashed but then it would be too early for a Reformation.Sorry, I fail to understand your question. Reconquista was over in the Iberian peninsula before Reformation started. I was just saying that it left behind significant religious fervour.