Southern Europe

Protestant reform movements were unsuccessful in Southern Europe - in Italy and Spain - where the influence of the Roman Church was the strongest. In both regions, the courts of the Inquisition exercised authority.

In Spain, where nationalism had managed to force out Muslim occupation in the 15th century, a close alliance remained between the monarchy and the established church. Without popular support or the protection and sponsorship by nobility, the Protestant Reformation was unable to find a foothold.

(Image of Ignatius of Loyola from website: The World of Ignatius Loyola )

The Catholic Church's own reform movement was greatly influenced by the work of Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), a Spanish nobleman who founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). The Jesuits were instrumental in countering Protestant reform in other parts of Europe, including Poland and Hungary.