No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

No topic - Essay Example Princes saw a chance to secure authority at the expense of the Catholic Holy Roman emperor. The Catholic Church was unable to restore unity though much of the emperor remained under its power. Furthermore, there were protestant and catholic quarrels which led to a series of religious wars during 16thC and 17thC. When regarding politics, the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) pitted Swedish and German Protestants against the holy Roman emperor and Spain. For a full century German authority and prosperity did not recover. Rulers and cities were permitted by the peace settlement to choose their official religion. It also provided the protestant Netherlands independence from Spain (Hunt et al., 529). During the 17thC, religion was a significant issue in English civil strife, most Protestants gained toleration apart from Catholics. The European power balance and political structure was affected by the wars. France gained authority; England and Netherlands developed global trade while Spain lost supremacy. Some rulers benefited from the fall of papal power even though protestant theory encouraged parliamentary authority in some states. In general, popular attitudes changed as people became less probable to recognize a link between god and nature. Religion and day-to-day life were viewed as separate (Hunt et al., 576). Greater stress to family life; love among spouses was encouraged as religious changed. Nevertheless, when covenants were abolished by Protestants women had lesser alternatives if unmarried. Lastly, literacy spread more