Ways of expressing freedom of conscience and religion

- international facts.

 

1.  Ancient times

a) 313- Constantine the Great, Roman emperor, reversed the persecutions of Christians and issued  the Edict of Milan, which proclaimed religious toleration throughout the empire.
 b) 392- Roman emperor, Theodosius the Great,  made  Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire

 

 2.  Medieval times

a) The Crusades - a series of religiously-sanctioned military campaigns 
b) 1415 -Jan Hus teaching condemned by the Council of Constance,Hus burned at the stake, the beginning of the Hussite Wars
c)1433 –The Compacta of Prague-the agreement of the Hussites with the Council of Basel that gave them authonomy within the Catholic Church,
 d)1462-Pope Pius IIdeclared the Compacta null and void

3.  Modern times

a) Reformation

* 1517-Martin Luther challenged the authotity of the Roman Catholic Church and initiated the Protestant Reformation
* 1519-. Huldrych Zwingli began to preach ideas on reforming the Catholic Church
* 1525-. The Duchy of Prussia, he first Protestant (Lutheran) duchy came into being
* 1530-Lutheran religion dominant in Denmark
*1534- Supremacy Act of King Henry VIII in England
* 1537- Lutheran religion dominant in Norway
* 1555- The Peace of Augsburg which officially ended the religious struggle and  established the principle Cuius regio, eius religio
* 23/ 24 .08 .1572- The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre directed against the Hugenots in France
* 1598-The Edict of Nantes  issued by Henry IV to grant the Huguenots substantial rights and religious freedom in a nation still considered essentially Catholic, apart from the area of Paris

b) The Counter-Reformation

* 1542- Pope Paul III established a system of tribunals, administered by the "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition", and staffed by cardinals and other Church officials combating or suppressing heresy
* 1559- The Index Librorum Prohibitorum ("List of Prohibited Books") was introduced by Pope Paul IV
c) The Thirty Years’ War- 1618 – 1648-fought largely as a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Europe
d) 1685- Louis XIV renounced the Edict of Nantes and declared Protestantism illegal in France

4. The Enlightenment

a) 1781 –Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor, I  issued  the Patent of Tolerance providing limited guarantee of freedom of worship  
b) 1789-revolution in France- struggle against the Catholic Church.

5. XIX century

a) 1804- The Napoleonic Code —allowed freedom of religion, conscience and guaranteed equal rights for religions.
b) 1848- 1849- The Spring of the Nations in Europe- liberal constitutions that guaranteed freedom of religion were adopted in many countries

6. XX century

a) after World War I in Russia and Germany in totalitarian system struggle against the Church and other religions

b) after World War II

* The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) -10.12. 1948-. Art .18
* The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) -  1950.
* Declaration of The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican  from 1965.
* The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) from 16. 12. 1966r
* The Final Act of The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 1.08.1975
*  United Nations declaration to eliminate all forms of intolerance and discrimination on the grounds of religion or beliefs from 21. 11. 1981.
 

 

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