The Protestant Reformation resulted in the formation of many new Christian denominations that disagreed with the teachings of the Catholic Church. These included the Lutherans,
Calvinists, Anglicans, and many others.
The Reformation created a loss of religious unity in Western Europe. Political divisions resulted as well. Rulers often chose a religion for their nations. While some states
remained Catholic, others became Protestant.
For more than 100 years after the Reformation, wars sparked by religion raged in Europe. In the 1500s religious civil wars occurred in Germany, France, and England.
The Reformation brought even more persecution to Jews. Protestants and Catholics forced Jews to leave their homes, live in separate neighborhoods, and even murdered them.
Religious fanatics led people to accuse others (especially women) of being witches. Thousands were put to death for this reason.
On the other hand, here are some of the effects of the Counter-Reformation on Europe society:
Protestant groups develop.
Church leaders reformed the Catholic Church.
Anti-Semitism increased and religious conflicts spread across Europe.
According to HISTORY.com, the Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.
Encyclopedia.com defines Counter Reformation as the 16th-century reformation that arose largely in answer to the Protestant Reformation; sometimes called the Catholic Reformation. It was led by conservative forces whose aim was both to reform the church and to secure the its traditions against the innovations of Protestant theology and against the more liberalizing effects of the Renaissance.
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