AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
TEST REVIEW: THE REFORMATION & THE AGE OF RELIGIOUS WARS
Ch. 14 & 15
Use your textbook, class notes, and other available information to complete the following test review.
This will be a multiple-choice exam that will parallel the AP Exam in format and style. All items on
this review will be covered on the test. You will take this test at our next class meeting.
Complete the Terms & Concepts sheet for this unit as part of the review for this test. All material on that
sheet may be tested.
The Reformation Movements, 1517-1545
♦ What was the European religious context prior to the Reformation, specifically in regard to:
o Religious Practice
o Activity of the Clergy
o Life for the Lower Classes
o Religious Attitudes toward and Opportunities for Women
♦ Be very familiar with the fundamental religious arguments of Martin Luther—how his beliefs differed
from traditional Christian doctrine, religious practices he wished to change, and his ideas in regard to
faith, salvation, and Holy Communion
♦ Know the key facts surrounding Luther’s trial at the Diet of Worms, to include Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V’s edict regarding Luther’s excommunication.
♦ How did Lutheranism lead to a “Reformation of the Common Man” which threatened to upset the
social balance of power in Europe?
♦ How did Zwingli’s activity in Zurich provide a model for the application of Protestantism to social
and political life in Germany—who was he, how did he get into a position of prominence, and why is
his story significant?
♦ What was Luther’s response to the peasant uprisings that occurred in 1524-25? Why did he have such
a reaction to a movement claiming to be based in his own ideas?
♦ What addendums to Protestant theology did John Calvin contribute? How did his ideas compare to
Luther, both in theology and in the practice of Christianity?
♦ How did the case of Michael Servetus illustrate conflicting ideologies in the Protestant movement?
The Empire of Charles V
♦ What were the dominions in Charles V’s realm, and how did he come to control such vast and
significant portions of Europe & the Americas?
♦ How did the following events or groups represent challenges to Charles V’s power & authority?
o The Comunero
o The Hapsburg-Valois Wars
o Turkish Expansion
o The Political Dynamics of the Holy Roman Empire
♦ How did the German princes of the Holy Roman Empire cripple Charles’ ability to enforce the Edict
of Worms? What compelled some princes to openly support Protestantism?
♦ What were the stipulations of the Augsburg Confession and the Peace of Augsburg of 1555? What
two European religious groups were included in the Peace?
♦ Why was Henry VIII compelled to seek an annulment for his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and
why did Pope Clement VII not grant it?
♦ What steps did Henry VIII & Parliament take to lay the foundation for England’s separation from the
Church? What were the stipulations of the Act of Supremacy of 1534?
♦ What contributions to the establishment of Anglicanism did Edward VI provide? Why & how did
“Bloody” Mary Tudor promote a “counter-reformation” in England during her short reign?
♦ What was the Elizabethan Settlement? To what degree was Anglicanism fully Protestant, and what
factors allowed England to allow some level of accommodation for both Anglicanism and
Catholicism?
♦ What role did the following play in the Catholic Reformation (Counter-Reformation) of 1512-1600?
♦
♦
o Teresa of Avila
o Ignatius Loyola
o The Index of Prohibited Books
What were the edicts of the Council of Trent of 1545-63, and how did they reflect some degree of
Catholic concession to Protestant ideas while affirming the authority of the Church and the papacy?
To what degree did both Protestantism and Catholicism begin to alter and more ardently regulate
religious life?
Economic & Social Changes
♦ What led to the economic crises of the 17th Century? How did the economic conditions of this era
affect the guilds that had dominated work and social activity in towns & cities since the Medieval
period?
♦ To what extent did greater political activity on the part of the lower classes both aid and hinder the
effort of Europe’s monarchs to centralize their authority?
♦ How did both civil and religious authorities attempt to address the growing level of poverty in 16th
Century Europe, and to what extent were they successful?
♦ Witch hunting experienced a dramatic increase during the Reformation era—what compelled this,
who was typically targeted and why, and how were accused witches typically identified and
punished?
Imperial Spain
♦ What made the Netherlands so valuable to Spanish king Philip II’s realm, and what factors led to
antagonism between Philip and his Dutch subjects?
♦ What factors led to Philip’s order to send the Armada to invade England, and what impact did its
failure have on Spain, England, and the Netherlands? Contrast this failure to Spain’s struggles in the
Mediterranean.
♦ What factors led to Spain’s decline after dominating Europe for over a century?
Religious Conflict in France & England
♦ Know the roles of the Huguenots, Catherine de’ Medici, Charles IX, and Henry of Navarre had in the
violence surrounding Protestantism in France.
♦ What was the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and why was it significant? What was the Edict of
Nantes?
♦ How does the case of Henry of Navarre exemplify the dominance of Catholicism in France?
♦ How did the Peace of Alais further restrict Protestantism in France? What actions did Cardinal
Richelieu take to suppress Protestantism while serving as intendant to Louis XIII?
♦ How did the Puritans threaten royal authority in England?
♦ How did the following English monarchs generate and increase the rift between the throne and
Parliament in the 17th Century:
o James VI
o Charles I
♦ What were the stipulations of the Petition of Right 1628?
The Thirty Years’ War
♦ Generally speaking, what were the goals of the successors of Charles V to the throne of the Holy
Roman Emperor?
♦ What were the causes of the Thirty Years’ War, and who were the major participants?
♦ Know the political ambitions of the participants of the Thirty Years’ War.
♦ What factors during the Thirty Years’ War led to levels of death and destruction previously unheard
of in Europe?
♦ What were the stipulations of the Peace of Westphalia of 1648? How did the Thirty Years’ War
weaken the Holy Roman Emperor at the expense of local German rulers?
The Baroque Era
♦ Know the common motivations, themes, and subjects of Baroque art, including the ways in which it
differs from Renaissance art.
♦ Be able to recognize key pieces of Baroque art—study the art handouts you received in class.
♦ Know the themes and ideas that typified literature and drama in the Baroque era, and how the works
of William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes typify these ideas.