5277 AM · 1517 CE · world history
Luther and the Reformation
A monk from Wittenberg challenges the sale of indulgences and splits Western Christianity.
Martin Luther posts ninety-five theses against the sale of indulgences. A narrow dispute quickly becomes a fundamental one: salvation by faith, and scripture above the pope. The printing press carries his texts across Germany in weeks. His German Bible shapes the language. Europe divides into Catholic and Protestant.