1. Deaton: World Civilizations MARTIN LUTHER AND THE REFORMATION

2. LUTHER’S BACKGROUND Born on November 10 th, 1483 Was married and had six children. He was the youngest of 5 himself He was a German Monk and professor. He would become one of the biggest church reformers during the protestant reformation.

3. INDULGENCES Under Pope Leo X, he issued indulgences which were pardons given by the Pope that people could buy to reduce a soul’s time purgatory. All Catholics at this time believed that once a person died they had to spend time in purgatory working off all the sins they had committed. Really, the Pope was using this as a fundraiser to finish construction of the Saint Peter’s Basilica. The popularity of the indulgencies had spread across Northern Europe. Many true believers questioned this practice: such as John Wycliffe and Jan Hus (Yan Huss). However, one monk really caught the churches attention.

4. POSTING 95 THESES In 1517 Martin posted 95 theses about the church on the door of the local church in Wittenberg, Germany. His intention was to have a debate with the church leaders about this new practice and their current leadership. The church door was commonly used as a community bulletin board, and Luther’s message was not intended for the common public. In fact, it was written in Latin – most people couldn’t read it. The main message contradicted basic Catholic beliefs when he insisted that God’s grace cannot be won by good works. Faith alone, he said, was needed. He really turned heads when he said that the only head of the Christian Church was Jesus himself, not the Pope.

5. REACTIONS TO LUTHER By 1520 Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther, or expelled him from the church. The new Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, handed down the Edict of Worms. It declared him an outlaw and condemned his writings. This did not prevent the spread of his ideas, in fact it increased them. By 1530, Lutherans had broken off and formed their own branch of Christianity. Charles V tried to suppress the religion, but it had spread so much that it had reached the lives of German Princes. In response, they issued a protestatio, or protest against Charles’ measures = the term Protestant into being.