1. The Protestant Reformation
Began in 1517

2. One of the greatest of all revolutions was the 16th-century religious revolt known as the Reformation. This stormy, often brutal, conflict separated the Christians of Western Europe into Protestants and Catholics. So far-reaching were the results of the separation that the Reformation has been called a turning point in history. It began the Modern Age because, once the peoples’ religious dictatorship was destroyed, they began to think with their own free will and conscience. From the diversity of their interests arose new political, social, and economic problems and beliefs.

3. At the start of the 16th century Western Europe had only one religion, Roman Catholicism. The Catholic church was rich and powerful and had preserved Europe's classical culture. However, despite several General Councils called to impose reforms and settle disputes, corrupt and inappropriate practices had grown up within the church. The church insisted that it alone had the authority to interpret the meaning of the Bible for the people.

4. The main cause of the Reformation was greed
The main cause of the Reformation was greed. Some members of the Church were selling Indulgences. Indulgences are prayers that enable souls to get out of purgatory and go straight to heaven.
This caused unrest among members of the church most notably an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther .
There was also conflict between Kings and the Popes.
The advent of the Printing Press enabled widespread communication of ideas. These often spread more rapidly than the Church could repudiate them.
In 1517, Luther wrote his 95 theses objecting to the practice of selling indulgences.
He nailed them to the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral. Wittenberg is a town in Germany.

5. Pope Leo X demanded that Luther withdraw 41 of his 95 Theses.
He refused and in 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Church.
The Reformation movement spread to France and England.
The person involved in France was John Calvin.
The person involved in England was King Henry VIII. He engineered a political separation from the Church of Rome and thus began the Church of England.
The Reformation enabled non-church people (the laity) to pursue studies previously only available to members of the Church, i.e. the clergy.
There were also many changes to the political behaviour of governments – and the Church.

6. Note that the Reformers were all born, baptized, confirmed and educated in the Roman Catholic Church, and most of them had served as priests and practised the solemn vow of obedience to the Pope.
In the realm of science, it is generally thought by modern historians that there never would have been modern science were it not for the Reformation.
All scientific investigation and endeavour prior to that had been controlled by the church.
The Reformation laid down once and for all the right and obligation of the individual conscience, and the right to follow the dictates of that individual conscience.