What if the Reformation was much more successfull than in OTL? How far could it spread? And what would be the fate of the Roman-Catholic Church and the Pope?
What if the Reformation was much more successfull than in OTL? How far could it spread? And what would be the fate of the Roman-Catholic Church and the Pope?
Spain? I would think that Catholicism would be especially strong there.You'd probably need something which gets rid of the support for Catholicism in some of the places that stayed Catholic - like say, Spain.
Really?Otherwise, it was mostly successful.
Spain? I would think that Catholicism would be especially strong there.
Really?
Many regions that joined the Reformation until 1546 were re-catholicized until the end of the 30 Years War. Examples: Bohemia, Austria, Styria, Rhineland ...
I think the most successful reformation would reform the catholic church as a whole and keep a unified church?
France goes protestant by Henry IV saying "sc**w the mass I´m taking Paris by force"?
The War of the League of Cambrai goes much worse for the French than OTL, and the Concordat of Bologna (which basically gave the French monarchy control of the Catholic hierarchy within France) never happens. The Pope and the French King continue to have a much worse relationship than OTL. Meanwhile, the Diet of Worms and the early part of the Reformation still happens.
At some point, the French King (Francis I, or an ATL successor) gets into another fight with the Pope over juresdiction over the church in France. Said fight escalates to the Pope threatening to excommunicate Francis...at which point, Francis pulls a Henry VIII and siezes control of the church in France. Of course, he probably has to fight some rebellions by Catholic nobles, but lets say by the late 1500's France is very firmly Protestant, and in somewhat better financial shape than OTL since the church's landholdings have all been turned into crown lands. Meanwhile, Polish Lutherans get one of their own elected to the Sejm. At this point, the only two Catholic major powers are the Hapsburg lands, Austria and Spain, and Austria can probably be brought down by a combination of France, Poland-Lithuania, Scandinavia, and the Protestant German states. Which, of course, leaves only Spain. Take your pick on whether it follows the trend and goes Protestant, or rushes headlong into the jaws of Protestant Europe (possibly to try and save Austria) only to have the French, English, and Dutch take its overseas empire apart.
And...by 1800, the Papacy is a fading memory, and from Trondheim to Sicily, and Warsaw to Lisbon, Europe sings the praises of Luther and Calvin.
But then, the catholics will NOT like it. And rise up.
Poland-Lithuania can go protestant. They had a Lutheran majority at one point, until the Jesuits managed to retake the land. Calvinism was also rather strong among the Lithuanian upper classes. A Polish-Lithuanian Royal Church isn't out of the question.
Well, he can always lay siege to Paris until the inhabitants are reduced to human skeletons eating each other.