by David Aaron White

Created on: July 18, 2011   Last Updated: July 19, 2011

The Counter-Reformation, which was a period of religious, political, and spiritual evolution between 1545 and 1648, cannot be attributed to just one person. Many key figures contributed to the various movements during this century-long movement, figures such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Mary I of England, and several others.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was a Spanish-born knight-turned priest who founded the Society of Jesus, which would become the Jesuit denomination of Catholicism. Loyola devoted himself to the Catholic Church after the Battle of Pamplona, where he was grievously injured, while recovering from his sustained injuries. In fact, Loyola went as far as to pray for seven hours a day, becoming an extremely religious figure in the process. Loyola studied theology from 1524 to 1537, after a trip to Israel, and then bound himself to a vow of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In 1540, Loyola formed the Society of Jesus, which was approved by Pope Paul III. Loyola died in 1556 and was made a saint by Pope Gregory XV seventy years later, earning the label of patron saint of soldiers, possibly because of his past military service.

Mary I of England (1516-1558) was the Queen regnant of England and Ireland and daughter of Catherine of Aragon. When King Henry made himself the leader of the Churches of England and Ireland in order to divorce Catherine, Mary’s claim to the English throne was deemed illegitimate; instead of being called the Princess, Mary earned the title of “Lady.” Mary never truly recognized Anne Boleyn as the Queen, insisting that her claim to the throne was legitimate. However, when Boleyn was decapitated in 1536, Mary and her father reconciled, which earned Mary a place back in the court. When Henry’s current wife, Jane, gave birth to her son, Edward, Mary was granted household within the royal palace; however, when Edward died not two decades later, he made his cousin, Lady Jane, his heiress instead of Mary. Shortly afterwards, Mary and her followers raised an army to retake the throne, and Lady Jane was deposed. Mary was officially crowned queen later that year.

Philip II of Spain (1527-1598), also known as Philip the Prudent, controlled Spain’s Empire for over 30 years. Phillip lived in the Netherlands for the early part of his reign, but returned to Spain to administrate his empire from the capital. In 1568, Philip was forced to put down a rebellion in the Netherlands over a tax dispute; however, the States-General of the Dutch provinces declared themselves separate from Philip, leaving the Southern Netherlands under Philip’s rule. Philip also married Mary I, uniting England and Spain temporarily. However, Philip was never able to put England under Catholic rule.

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