The Protestant Reformation began in Germany, when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses, calling for reform of the Christian Church.

By the early 1500s, many people in Western Europe were growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Christian Church. Many found the Pope too involved with secular (worldly) matters, rather than with his flocks spiritual well-being. Lower church officials were poorly educated and broke vows by living richly and keeping mistresses. Some officials practiced simony, or passing down their title as priest or bishop to their illegitimate sons. In keeping with the many social changes of the Renaissance, people began to boldly challenge the authority of the Christian Church.

Early Calls for Church Reforms

There were some early calls for church reform in that last part of the fifteenth century. Jan Hus (1372-1415) a Bohemian scholar was burned at the stake for his criticisms of The Church. Englishman John Wycliffe (1328-1384), a professor at Oxford, attacked the Eucharist, the Christian ceremony of taking bread and wine, calling it a source of superstition. Wycliffe claimed the bible to be final authority, superseding even that of the Pope. Both Hus and Wycliffe attracted a small following, but any major opposition to the Christian Church was still a century away.

Martin Luther and his 95 Theses

A German monk by the name of Martin Luther was particularly bothered by the selling of indulgences. An indulgence, a religious pardon that released a sinner from performing specific penalties, could be bought from a church official for various fees. Martin Luther was especially troubled because some church officials gave people the impression that they could buy their way into heaven. To express his growing concern of church corruption, Martin Luther wrote his famous 95 Theses, which called for a full reform of the Christian Church. In it, he stressed the following points:

- People could only win salvation by faith in God's forgiveness. The Church taught that faith, along with good works was needed for salvation.

- The Pope is a false authority. The bible was the one true authority.

- All people with faith in Christ were equal. People did not need priest and bishops to interpret the bible for them. They could read it themselves and make up their own minds.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther tacked his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, in Saxony, Germany. Luther invited other scholars to debate him on the matter church policies.

Martin Luther in Exile

Thanks to the printing press, Luther’s 95 Theses was reprinted throughout Germany, and soon he attracted many followers. And many enemies. In 1520, the Pope excommunicated Martin Luther. Luther responded by burning the papal decree in front of his students. In 1521, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V put Luther on trial, and had him declared an outlaw. Luther went into exile, living at Wartburg Castle, home to Prince Frederick the Wise, of Saxony. During his time at Wartburg, Luther translated the bible into German.

When Luther emerged from his exile ten months later, he found many of his theories had been put into practice. Priests now wore regular clothing, and called themselves ministers. Religious services were held in German rather than Latin. And many of the clergy had begun to marry. Martin Luther himself married a former nun in 1524. Instead pushing for reforms, the protesting Christians had begun their own religion. Styling themselves after their founder, they called themselves Lutherans.

Martin Luther’s message held great appeal for various groups, some of whom had less than spiritual concerns. Many Western European rulers resented the political power held by the Pope. In addition, many northern merchants did not like paying heavy taxes to the Church, which was situated far away, in Rome. They welcomed a chance to break with Rome once and for all.

Protestantism

In 1529 several German princes banded together, and signed a decree at the Diet of Speyer, publicly declaring their support for Luther and his teachings. They became known as the protesting princes. Hence the word Protestant.

In the years following Martin Luther’s radical break with the church, much warfare occurred in and around Western Europe. Despite their best efforts, Catholic (as they were now referred to) rulers often could not bring their subjects back to the Church. In 1555, at the Peace of Augsburg, all German princes agreed that the religion of each German state was to be decided by its ruler. Elsewhere in Europe, the Wars of Religion were not so easily solved.

New Religions

Martin Luther and the protesting princes inspired an entire generation of people to break away from the Catholic Church. Men like John Calvin and John Knox became outspoken critics of Catholicism, and brought Protestantism to other parts of Western Europe. King Henry VIII (you know, the guy with all the wives) cleverly jumped on the protestant bandwagon, declaring himself head of the new Church of England. He then granted himself a very convenient divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Other groups, such as the Huguenots in France, and Anabaptists in the Netherlands would further divide the Christian religion. The Catholic Church scrambled to do damage control, initializing what would become the Counter Reformation (also known as the Catholic Reformation). However, they would not succeed in stamping out Protestantism. Never again would all Christians worship under one roof.

Check out this article, which explains how Martin Luther introduced the Christmas tree to Germany.