The evolution of the religious ideology of the Hispanic Monarchy during the period called «post-tridentism»

Historia Moderna

Abstract

The concept «post-tridentism» is applied to designate religious ideology after the Council of Trent (1563) until the 18th century. This ideology was assumed by the Hispanic Monarchy, which implanted it in all its kingdoms and defended it by arms against all its enemies. From this interpretation, we can deduct: first, that there was an identification between the ideology and interests defended by the church and those defended by the Hispanic monarchs; second, this religious harmony remained unchanged during the 16th and 17th centuries. A careful study of the historical evolution of the Hispanic Monarchy during both centuries shows, first, that there was no community of interests between the Church and Spain during the 16th century; second, that religious ideology was different in the 17th century. This is even observed in the fact that during the 16th century the Hispanic Monarchy was built according to the idea of «Universal Monarchy» and during the 17th century under the concept of «Catholic Monarchy».