Martin Luther's The Ninety-Five Theses

The Protestant Reformation broke out after the Renaissance in the free imperial cities of Germany and Switzerland. The Reformation involved the separation of the Roman Catholic Church, which was initiated by Martin Luther. Protestant reformers like, John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli, continued the schism from the Church. Although there had been earlier attempt to reform the church, Luther was the one to start the Reformation with his work, The Ninety-Five Theses, criticizing the sale of indulgences. Undoubtedly, the religious schism during the sixteenth century occurred because of the political, social, and economical problems. There were many political conflicts at the time of the Protestant Reformation. As the Reformation progressed, political problems only worsened in Europe. The king’s law and custom had almost always overridden local law and custom. Those towns and territories became sensitive to the loss of traditional rights and freedoms. Therefore, townspeople and village

Religious authorities took advantage of the sale of indulgences for their own fortune. This was seen as sinful to many people, including Luther, which caused opposition. Indulgences were regularly dispensed for cash payments that were presented to the laity as remitting not only their own future punishments, but those of their dead relatives in purgatory. Some indulgence proceeds even were used to pay off debt. Martin Luther believed this traditional practice, for economical gains, made salvation something that could be bought and sold. He thought this was wrong, and argued the sale of indulgences in, The Ninety-Five Theses. The English Parliament declared that they were able to, “Repress and extirpate all errors, heresies, and other enormities and abuses,” in The Act of Supremacy. Although the Parliament considered Martin a heretic, he was able to avoid punishments and establish Lutheranism as an official