---
title: "Concordat of Bologna — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide"
description: "The Concordat of Bologna (1516) let Francis I control French Church appointments while staying Catholic. Key for AP Euro Units 1-2 and new monarchies."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-euro/key-terms/concordat-of-bologna"
type: "key-term"
subject: "AP European History"
unit: "Unit 1"
---

# Concordat of Bologna — AP Euro Definition & Exam Guide

## Definition

The Concordat of Bologna (1516) was an agreement between King Francis I of France and Pope Leo X that gave the French crown the power to appoint bishops and abbots in France, letting the monarchy control the Catholic Church without breaking from Rome.

## What It Is

The Concordat of Bologna was a deal struck in 1516 between Francis I of France and Pope Leo X. The French king got the right to nominate bishops, abbots, and other high church officials in France, which meant he controlled who held the Church's wealthiest and most powerful positions. In exchange, the pope got to collect certain revenues from the French Church and kept France officially Catholic and loyal to Rome.

Here's the move that makes this term click for [AP Euro](/ap-euro "fv-autolink"). France got most of the benefits of a national church (royal control over appointments, [patronage](/ap-euro/key-terms/patronage "fv-autolink"), and church property) without ever leaving the Catholic Church. That's why French kings had almost no financial or political incentive to embrace Protestantism. Henry VIII broke with Rome partly to grab that same control; Francis I already had it on paper. The concordat is a textbook example of a 'new monarchy' centralizing power, in this case the power to shape religious life in the realm (KC-1.5.I.A).

## Why It Matters

This term lives in [Topic 1.5](/ap-euro/unit-1/new-monarchies-1450-1648/study-guide/GMVwZzUbpNd5q0X4WzsD "fv-autolink") (New Monarchies, 1450-1648) and connects directly to Topic 2.4 (Wars of Religion). For learning objective AP Euro 1.5.A, it's one of the cleanest examples of how new monarchies gained 'the right to determine the religion of their subjects' and built the centralized modern state. For AP Euro 2.4.A, it explains a puzzle that shows up constantly on the exam. Why did France stay Catholic while England went Protestant? Because the Concordat of Bologna meant the French crown already controlled church appointments and benefited from [Catholicism](/ap-euro/key-terms/catholicism "fv-autolink"), the monarchy fought to suppress Protestantism rather than adopt it. That tension between a Catholic crown and a growing Huguenot minority feeds straight into the French Wars of Religion. It also supports the AP Euro theme of states and other institutions of power, since it shows religion being used as a tool of state-building.

## Connections

### Gallicanism (Units 1-2)

Gallicanism is the broader idea that the French Church should answer to the French crown more than to Rome. The Concordat of Bologna is Gallicanism put into a signed contract. If you can name both on an FRQ, you're showing the pattern and the specific evidence.

### [Act of Supremacy (Unit 2)](/ap-euro/key-terms/act-of-supremacy)

[Henry VIII](/ap-euro/key-terms/henry-viii "fv-autolink")'s Act of Supremacy (1534) made the English king head of a brand-new national church. Francis I got similar control over the French Church 18 years earlier without breaking from Rome. Same goal of royal control over religion, two very different routes.

### [French Wars of Religion (Unit 2)](/ap-euro/key-terms/french-wars-of-religion)

Because the concordat tied the [monarchy](/ap-euro/key-terms/monarchy "fv-autolink")'s interests to Catholicism, French kings treated Calvinist Huguenots as a threat to royal power, not just to the faith. That's the political fuel behind the wars of religion and, eventually, the Edict of Nantes' pragmatic tolerance.

### New Monarchies (Unit 1)

The CED says new monarchies built the modern state by monopolizing taxes, justice, force, and religion. The concordat is your go-to evidence for the religion piece in France, alongside taille taxation and a royal [standing army](/ap-euro/key-terms/standing-army "fv-autolink").

## On the AP Exam

You'll most likely see the Concordat of Bologna in multiple-choice questions asking what it did, who negotiated it (Francis I and Leo X), and how it shifted power between the French monarchy and the papacy. Practice questions on it focus on outcomes, so know the trade. The crown got appointment power, the pope got revenue and French loyalty. No released FRQ has used the term verbatim, but it's high-value evidence for LEQs and DBQs on state centralization (1.5.A) or on why religious reform played out differently across Europe (2.4.A). The strongest exam move is comparison. Use it to explain why France stayed Catholic while England broke away, or as proof that monarchs used religion to build state power.

## Concordat of Bologna vs Act of Supremacy

Both gave a king control over the church in his realm, but the mechanism is opposite. The Act of Supremacy (1534) made Henry VIII head of a separate Church of England, a full break with Rome. The Concordat of Bologna (1516) kept France inside the Catholic Church; Francis I got appointment power through a negotiated deal with the pope, not a schism. If the question involves a break with the papacy, that's England, not France.

## Key Takeaways

- The Concordat of Bologna (1516) was an agreement between Francis I of France and Pope Leo X that gave the French king the power to appoint bishops and abbots in France.
- In exchange for appointment power, the pope received revenues from the French Church and kept France officially within the Catholic Church.
- The concordat meant French kings already controlled the Church's wealth and offices, so they had little incentive to turn Protestant the way Henry VIII did.
- It's a prime example of new monarchies centralizing power, specifically the right to determine the religion of their subjects (KC-1.5.I.A).
- Because the monarchy's power was tied to Catholicism, the crown suppressed Huguenots, helping set up the French Wars of Religion.
- On the exam, use it as comparative evidence for why religious reform took different paths in France and England.

## FAQs

### What was the Concordat of Bologna in AP Euro?

It was a 1516 agreement between King Francis I of France and Pope Leo X that gave the French crown the right to appoint bishops and abbots in France, while the pope collected revenues from the French Church and France stayed Catholic.

### Did the Concordat of Bologna make France break away from the Catholic Church?

No. That's the whole point. France stayed inside the [Catholic Church](/ap-euro/key-terms/catholic-church "fv-autolink"). Francis I got control over church appointments through a deal with the pope, not through a schism like England's.

### How is the Concordat of Bologna different from the Act of Supremacy?

The Act of Supremacy (1534) made Henry VIII the head of a new, separate Church of England, a complete break with Rome. The Concordat of Bologna (1516) gave Francis I similar control over church appointments while keeping France loyal to the pope.

### Why did France stay Catholic during the Reformation?

Largely because of the Concordat of Bologna. The French crown already controlled church appointments and benefited financially from Catholicism, so it had no incentive to adopt Protestantism. Instead, kings suppressed Huguenots, which fed into the French Wars of Religion.

### Is the Concordat of Bologna on the AP Euro exam?

Yes, it falls under Topics 1.5 (New Monarchies) and 2.4 (Wars of Religion). It shows up in multiple-choice questions about royal power over the church and works as strong evidence in essays about state centralization or comparing France and England during the Reformation.

## Related Study Guides

- [1.5 New Monarchies: 1450 - 1648](/ap-euro/unit-1/new-monarchies-1450-1648/study-guide/GMVwZzUbpNd5q0X4WzsD)

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