How was the reformation different from the counter-reformation?

Answer 1

First of all, for a Catholic what you are calling the reformation is known as the protestant revolt, it was certainly NOT a reformation, it was just several individuals (notably Henry VIII and Martin Luther) having too much pride, and affection for their personal favorite sins over affection for the Gospel and Christ's Church. What protestants and secular scholars refer to as the counter-reformation is known as the Catholic Reform. Below are the definitions for the two terms from Fr. Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary.

from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Reformation. A religious, social, and political upheaval (1517-1648) that divided Western Christendom and created world Protestantism. Its causes were manifold; weakening of papal authority through long residence in France and the worldliness of some popes; disloyalty to Rome of many bishops who were really temporal rulers; excessive reservation of ecclesiastical appointments to the Roman Curia; intellectual and moral unfitness of many priests; wealth of some of the monasteries and dissension in their ranks; superstition and ignorance among the laity; social unrest brought on by the disintegration of the feudal system; support given by political power to dissenters in the Church; unrest and secularism brought on by the new geographical discoveries; and the use of the printing press to propagate the new views. The effects of the Reformation have been far-reaching: Christian unity was shattered, personal liberty in religion affected every sphere of human activity, with the rise of the modern secular state, of capitalism as rugged individualism, and with the loss of the cultural solidarity, founded on a common faith, that had shaped Western civilization for almost a millennium.

Counter Reformation. A period of Catholic revival from 1522 to about 1648, better know as the Catholic Reform. It was an effort to stem the tide of Protestantism by genuine reform within the Catholic Church. There were political movements pressured by civil rules, and ecclesiastical movements carried out by churchmen in an attempt to restore genuine Catholic life by establishing new religious orders such as the Society of Jesus and restoring old orders to their original observances, such as the Carmelites under St. Teresa of Avila (1515-98). The main factors responsible for the Counter Reformation, however, were the papacy and the council of Trent (1545-63). Among church leaders St. Charles Borromeo (1538-84), Archbishop of Milan, enforced the reforms decreed by the council, and St. Francis de Sales of Geneva (1567-1622) spent his best energies in restoring genuine Catholic doctrine and piety. Among civil rulers sponsoring the needed reform were Philip II of Spain (1527-98) and Mary Tudor (1516-58), his wife, in England. Unfortunately this aspect of the reformation led to embitterment between England and Scotland, England and Spain, Poland and Sweden, and to almost two centuries of religious wars. As a result of the Counter Reformation, the Catholic Church became stronger in her institutional structure, more dedicated to the work of evangelization, and more influential in world affairs.

Answer 2

The Reformation was a movement in the 16th century that sought to reform the Roman Catholic Church, resulting in the creation of Protestantism. The Counter-Reformation was the Catholic Church's response to the Reformation, focusing on internal reform, addressing corruption, and reclaiming lost territories. The Reformation led to the fragmentation of Christianity into different denominations, while the Counter-Reformation aimed to strengthen and reassert the authority of the Catholic Church.