The Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther

A lightening bolt struck near to him

as he was returning to

school. Terrified, he cried out,

"Help, St. Anne! I'll become a

monk!"

Spared of his life, but regretting his

words, Luther kept his bargain,

dropped out of law school and entered the

monastery there.

In the year 1516,

Dominican priest Johann

Tetzel was appointed to

sell indulgences

for the building of St

Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Translation: "In the authority of all the saints, and in compassion towards thee,

I absolve thee from all sins and misdeeds, and remit all punishment for ten days."

“As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory

springs.” – Johann Tetzel

On Halloween of 1517, Luther changed the course of human

history when he nailed (?) his 95

Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, accusing the Roman Catholic church of

heresy upon heresy.

Pope Leo X: Luther was simply “some drunken German who will amend his

ways when he sobers up.”

Luther’s 95 Theses of Contention had been copied and published all over Europe—thanks to

Gutenberg’s printing press.

Luther urged people to support education, for "a city's best and

greatest welfare, safety and

strength consist rather in its

having many able, learned,

wise, honorable, and well-educated citizens.”

The Catholic Church The Catholic Church excommunicated Luther in 1521excommunicated Luther in 1521

Luther burns the "Bull of Excommunication," which

bears the official seal of Pope Leo X.

Luther was summoned to either renounce or reaffirm his views at

the Diet of Worms on 17 April 1521. He refused.

Elector Frederick of

Saxony hid and protected

Martin Luther after he

became a fugitive and his

works were ordered burned.

Frederick provided the Wartburg for Frederick provided the Wartburg for Martin Luther to hide after his trial for Martin Luther to hide after his trial for heresy at Worms by the Imperial Courtheresy at Worms by the Imperial Court

Luther's room in the Wartburg, Luther's room in the Wartburg, where he translated the Bible into where he translated the Bible into

vernacular German.vernacular German.

Luther’s translation of the Bible also helped to develop a standard version of the

German language

Luther was known to advise people that they should literally “Tell the Devil he may kiss my

ass.”

Many German princes welcomed Protestantism, if only to gain more

political power and avoid the control of Rome.

Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V

could not force many independent-

minded German princes to remain

Catholic and agreed to the

Peace of Augsburg in 1555, which recognized the

division of Christianity.

Lutheranism spread from Northern Germany to Scandinavia and spawned

other Protestant movements in Europe.