After the protestant reformation of the early sixteenth century, the roman catholic church responded with a movement to recapture the loyalty of its people. this was known as:

The Counter-Reformation or the Catholic Reformation

The Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation in a number of ways intended to strengthen its own stance and its hold on church power. This movement by the Catholic Church is known as the Counter-Reformation or the Catholic Reformation. It included a number of features, such as:

1. The formation of religious orders that aimed to build allegiance to Rome and the papacy, and to educate people in Catholic teaching. The Society of Jesus, known as the Jesuits for short, was a key order of this sort. The order was founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1534, along with Francis Xavier and several others.

2. The Council of Trent served to reform some abuses that were acknowledged by the Catholic Church, but mostly to assert the full authority of Roman power and doctrine over the Protestant threat. The Council of Trent held meetings over a span of years from 1545 to 1563.

3. The Roman Inquisition was founded in 1542 to act as an investigative body in regard to threats to Rome's teachings. About a century later, Galileo would be one of the most famous persons tried by the Roman Inquisition.