The Counter-Reformation is the Catholic church reform movement initiated by the Council of Trent (1545-1563). The Church was strongly challenged by the Protestant reform and at Trent it redefined its doctrines and put forward a new standard of morality. In the Hispanic kingdoms, the Counter-Reformation was imposed by Philip II. Religious fanaticism was directed against Jewish converts, Moriscos and witches.

The expulsion of Moriscos (1610) and witch-hunting (particularly ruthless between 1618 and 1622) took place during the reign of Philip II. The Renaissance movement gave way to the Baroque, marked by a more pessimistic yet exuberant style and by the profoundly didactic nature of Counter-Reformist dogma. Within this framework, the cultural pressure of Castile on Catalonia increased.