Catholic Reformation · 1540-1600

The Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church answers the Protestants with reforms of its own. Students follow the bishops to the Council of Trent and the first Jesuits from Rome to India and Japan, and ask how a worldwide church renewed itself.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
13–16
On the map
3 steps, AD 1545 to AD 1600
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

The Catholic Church answers the Protestants with reforms of its own. Students follow the bishops to the Council of Trent and the first Jesuits from Rome to India and Japan, and ask how a worldwide church renewed itself.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain what the Council of Trent decided and why it met.
  • Trace the journeys of early Jesuits such as Francis Xavier on the map.
  • Judge whether "Counter-Reformation" or "Catholic Reformation" is the better name for the period.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1545

A town between north and south

Open the map in 1545 and find Trent in the Alps, on the road from Germany to Italy. Turn on Historical Events and find the Council of Trent. Why meet here and not in Rome?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1550

Missions to Asia

Turn on Trade Routes and follow the Cape Route to the Indies from Lisbon around Africa to India. Missionaries sailed on the same ships as spice traders. How long might the voyage have taken?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1600

Which way did Europe go?

Jump to 1600 and zoom in on Europe. Find Poland-Lithuania, Bavaria in southern Germany and France. All had Protestant groups in the 1500s but stayed mostly Catholic. Why might that be?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. The Council of Trent ordered seminaries to train priests. Why would better-educated priests help the Church?
  2. Ignatius of Loyola was a wounded soldier before he founded the Jesuits. How might that shape a religious order?
  3. The Church published an Index of forbidden books. Can you stop ideas by banning books?
  4. Jesuits went to India, Japan, China and the Americas. How did people there respond to them?
  5. Is "Counter-Reformation" or "Catholic Reformation" the fairer name for this period? Explain.
4

Game round

9 min

Play a round of Rule History as Akbar. In 1580 Jesuits from Goa came to his court and debated with Muslim, Hindu and other scholars. Discuss: why would an emperor invite people of many faiths to argue in front of him?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.