In response to the Protestant Reformation, between the years of 1545-1563, the people of Trent constructed a council known as the Council of Trent. The main, intended purpose of the Council of Trent was to influence Protestants to return to the Catholic Church. The Catholics were determined to redefine the concepts of Catholicism in order to make them clearer than before, in hopes that this would make the Catholic Church more appealing. These actions created another movement that occurred during a similar time, known as the Counter Reformation. The Council of Trent was built in response to the Protestant Reformation; and because of this, it is known for being one of the most significant movements of the Counter Reformation. John O’Malley, …show more content…
He further explains that what actually happened and what is being perceived as happening are two different things. “Trent” is referring to the actual Council of Trent and what happened. “Tridentinismo,” refers to the myths and inaccurate interpretations of what happened at the Council of Trent. This is an interesting point that he makes, because there is an actual separate word for misinterpreting what happened at the Council of Trent; thus, potentially creating the name of the book.
All in all, the Council of Trent was a very important event in history, and O’Malley does a good job further explaining what happened and all of the other aspects that went along with the Council. Trent, What Happened at the Council, is a good, easy read for those who are interested in learning more about the Council of Trent. The connections O’Malley makes of the Council of Trent to the Protestant Reformation, Counter Reformation, and Martin Luther are very thought-provoking, especially with the background of reading Basilica and Reformation