Poland Counter Reformation Movement Analysis

The Protestant Reformation as a whole tells a compelling story, with many intricate twists and turns. With the established goals of purifying the way people practiced Christianity, the movement and subsequent counter-movements by the Catholic Church grasped Europe in the 15th century. Many people know the stories and successes of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland, Germany, England, and other portions of Western Europe. Lesser known is the story of Poland. Poland’s narrative of religious reform is as peaceful as any, but equally gripping as any other nation’s saga. The Polish Protestant Reformation was never as successful as in other countries, due to a few key factors. This essay explains the context in which the Protestant Reformation
In order to understand the Counter Reformation movement in Poland, it is essential to provide some information about the man behind it. Stanislaus Hosius came from the influential city of Cracow, and was born on May 5th 1505. Hosius quickly ascended through the ranks of the Catholic Church, eventually earning the title of Bishop. Eventually he rose to the head and most respected bishop in all of Poland. (Contemporaries of Erasmus 206) Having the foresight to see the coming challenge from the Reformation movement, Hosius asked all the bishops in Poland to take a statement of faith that he wrote up at the Piotrkow. The statement of faith mirrored something that could be identified with Erasmus, as the bishop was a well know follower of Erasmus. (Contemporaries of Erasmus 205) With Rome acknowledging the bishop that it had on its hands, Pope Pius IV asked Hosius to precede over the Council of Trent for several years. (Contemporaries of Erasmus 207) Upon his return to Poland, he along with several others, essentially declared war on the Polish Protestant Reformation movement. In 1963, he founded the first of several Jesuit schools. His lasting legacy was that he is seen as the organizer of the Polish Counter Reformation movement, and provided a model for the Catholic
By building and staffing Jesuit schools in the area, the Catholic Church inserted itself into the minds of young people. I had previously mentioned that one of the failures of the Protestant Reformation movement in Poland was its inability to build respectable schools, and the Catholics were well aware of this at the time. This opportunity was too good to pass up for those in leadership positions in the Counter Reformation. Securing quality education for young adults help cement in several generations the types of opportunities that being Catholic could provide. The Catholics successfully positioned themselves to have the brightest and best that Poland had to offer on their side. These students would go on to debate Protestants, serve in the government, and generally help restore credibility to the Catholic name.