Religion In Central Europe

Religion has a way of changing how people view, think, and see the world around them. In a way, it acts as a lens in which people are able to focus their collective thoughts and come together as one. Religion groups people together and as a result naturally divides others. This has been incredibly true in Central Europe. In the last millennia, Central Europe has housed within its ambiguous borders a multitude of religious events that have helped shape its dynamic history and its citizens. It has bared witness to the birth of religions and well as the conversion of its people by many others. As time has elapsed, only more religions have made their presence known within the region, further complicating the situation. Although Central Europe has …show more content…
During the time of the Romans, there grew to become only one major religion of Roman Catholicism. When the Western Roman Empire fell, the west and the east began to develop their own religious ideologies. Six centuries later, the catholic faith split during the Great Schism of 1054. Now there were two Christian faiths, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. At this time, Central Europe was home to a bunch of different pagan tribes who would have had various religious beliefs amongst themselves. As centuries passed, these two religions would come into conflict with one another as they tried to convert the pagan faiths. By 1400, all of Central Europe had been converted by these two religions. Had the area stayed under the influence of these two religions, the area’s divisions may not have been as large as they are today. As time progressed, more religions were created and major events occurred that only further divided the citizens of Central …show more content…
It was not until Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis that Protestantism was created. Although it was not his attention, Luther had become the catalyst to a long series of religious conflicts that ensued. The Christian faith had again split apart and unlike the Great Schism of 1054, this was not near as harmonious as a transition. During this time, there was an abundance of small wars. The major two wars to take note of in regard to Central Europe were the thirty’s years’ war and the seven years’ war. The battleground for both wars were primarily located within Central Europe and their aftermath fundamentally changed the Central European political landscape. An example can be seen in that the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania was absorbed into three different empires, each their own religious