In the 1500s, the council of trent was led by a group of lutheran ministers who wanted to spread their ideas. catholic cardinals who wanted to reform the church. german princes who wanted to end a peasants’ rebellion. calvinists who wanted to make laws that followed their beliefs.

The Council of Trent was prompted by the teachings of Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. During this time, many individuals were leaving the Catholic Church due to the perceived corruption that was happening. An example of this would be the sale of indulgences so that individuals could essential pay the church in order to forgive their sins. This backlash against the church resulted in the Reformation.

To ensure that the Catholic Church remained powerful and influential, members of the Church developed the Council of Trent. This council met as a way to make changes to the Catholic Church that would result in followers staying with the Catholic Church instead of converting to Protestantism. This action of changing church doctrine by the Catholic Church was known as the Counter Reformation.