Division and Persecution
By 1650, Europe had been divided into a largely Protestant north and a Catholic south. There were minority groups in a lot of countries and these groups faced persecution. Many countries introduced laws that banned members of other faiths from holding public office, owning property, attending their own religious services, etc.
Power of Kings
In countries that were now Protestant, the Pope had no control in them. In those countries, all Catholic Church property were seized by the Crown, making those rulers a lot wealthier. It also removed a challenge to their power by giving them control over the religion in other countries.
Education
Education became very important to both Catholics and Protestants. Protestants wanted everyone to read and understand the Bible which meant that everyone needed a basic education. Catholics believed that the only reason people had followed the Reformers was that they did not understand their faith. Due to this, many schools were opened to educate Catholics.
Art and Architecture
Protestants did not agree with the decoration of churches with statues and paintings because they saw this as being sinful, wasteful and a distraction from the teachings of God. Their churches were very simple and plain. Meanwhile Catholics continued to spend lavishly on the decoration of their churches to celebrate their faith and to attract people into them.