Father Philip Huges, one of the world's leading Catholic historians, vividly portrays the events, characters and back-ground of the Reformation in a masterpiece of historical writing. The explosive issues, the complex cross-currents of the time, unfold in one lucid and very readable narrative. Father Hughes first examines the Reformation background: the laxity, often the corruption, that aroused demands for reform. In this section he also brings out a lesser-known but vital part of the picture, the Catholic efforts at reform that were beginning to bear fruit even before Luther. Then he studies the different situations in each country: the religious, social and political background. All the key figures of the time-Luther, Zwingli, Erasmus, Henry VIII, Cromwell, St. Thomas More, Calvin, Cranmer, St. Ignatius Loyola, Knox, and many more-all emerge in full vigor of their striking personalities. With the sure touch of a master historian, Father Hughes captures the significance of these men as he examines the great events of their lives and the main trends in their thought. The book is rounded out with a study of the Council of Trent, the gathering of bishops and theologians that finally achieve the real reform of the Church-from within.