Medieval, Renaissance, Reformation: Western Civilization, Act II <BR> PART II OF The "Middle" Centuries of Western Civilization - Western Civilization Internet Book ACT II. Renaissance Music Timeline. Counter Reformation: Phases of the Counter Reformation. Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance . Renaissance . Counter Reformation.
Throughout the middle ages the Catholic Church sunk deeper into a pit of scandal and corruption.
By the 1520s, Martin Luther's ideas crystallized opposition to the Church, and Christian Europe was torn apart. In response, the Catholic Church set in motion the counter-reformation. An era of strict conformity and accompanying terror had begun. During the reign of Pope Leo X, discontent amongst Catholics in Europe was at an all-time high. The sale by the Pope of indulgences, a guarantee of salvation, was the last straw. Renaissance Timeline - Timeline of the Renaissance.