After the Protestant Reformation came about in the 1520s, the Catholics were forced to counter and neutralize it for their good. The Protestant Reformation degraded views of Catholicism. Not only did the reformation lure devote Catholics away from their church, but it also affected Catholicism by challenging aspects of their faith and the Renaissance. It mainly challenged the Renaissance's tendency to follow classical sources and its' devotion to the traditional and more common religions. The Catholics could not and did not stand for this to take place, so they put forth their efforts to stop the Protestant Reformation. One of the more obvious things that the Catholics did to defend against the Protestant Reformation was The Counter-Reformation. The Counter-Reformation began in Lithuania in 1543. It was a Roman Catholic movement against the rise in Lutheranism. As a religious movement, it grew with the support of Jesuits. The Jesuits helped out in defending Catholicism by reinforcing the church. The Counter-Reformation resulted in the establishment of Vilnius University in 1579. The Counter-Reformation can also be seen as a political movement because of a loss in revenue in the Baltic provinces. The Lutheranism in the area diverted funds from the Church because that religion did not require taxes to be paid to the Pope.
             The Council of Trent was another great way of combating against the Protestant Reformation. The Council of Trent was initiated by Pope Paul, and it was forced onto him by the Emperor Charles V. The Protestant Reformation led others to disbelieve in some of the Catholic Principles, so Charles V set up the Council of Trent to reassert the church's doctrine. One of the main things the council did was to curtail the selling of church offices. Trent also strengthened the authority of local bishops which increased effectiveness. The priest had to become better dressed and better educated to give a more pleasant image. This...