"Rather than establishing unity and harmony, religious developments have caused division and conflic

The first 200 words of this essay...

"Rather than establishing unity and harmony, religious developments have caused division and conflic

In order to answer this question successfully, one must first understand what is meant by "religious developments" and also to define and concentrate on the "chosen period of study". In the context of the question, one must understand religious developments to be the progressive changes made in the area of theology by prolific thinkers, biblical humanists and also the period's most powerful rulers. This could mean whole new movements, such as Calvinism, or the slight change in religious policy, such as the different approaches to the matter of convivencia and the Conversos and Moriscos. The period that I shall concentrate upon in this analysis will be the whole of the sixteenth century, including the important events that took place in the time leading up to, and away from, this area of history.

Religion, to the people of the sixteenth century, was a very important issue which governed their lives. The parish priest had more direct effect on an ordinary person's life than any government official. The church would have been the most substantial building in the village, apart from perhaps the manor house,