Why did the Reformation see an

increase in persecution of people of different

beliefs or religions?

Answer: the Catholic Church wished to keep power over Europe. So they saw the Protestants as a challenge to there authority so they tried to curb their influence in the most effective way possible. Other people saw how the Catholic Church dealt with the Protestants as an example and did the same thing; executions, torture, and the burning of " heritics"

The Catholic church did not want to tolerate other ideas that differed from the Catholic doctrine. Some nations accepted and reformed as England did, but some other countries expelled thousands or tens of thousands of people who accepted the reformation and became protestant. There was even an extremely bloody conflict called the Thirty Years War that was fought between the Catholics and the Protestants where the Protestants emerged victorious.