Martin Luther Sends Ninety-Five Theses
In the early 16th century, the Catholic Church sold indulgences to fund projects like St. Peter's Basilica, sparking widespread criticism over corruption and the sale of salvation. Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and professor at the University of Wittenberg in Germany, drafted a list of 95 propositions challenging these practices and the authority of the Pope. On October 31, 1517, he sent the document to Archbishop Albert of Brandenburg and, according to tradition, posted it on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. The theses quickly circulated thanks to the recent invention of the printing press, igniting debates across Europe. This act transformed a local protest into the spark for the Protestant Reformation, dividing Western Christianity.
Why it matters: The theses launched the Protestant Reformation, leading to the establishment of new Protestant denominations and centuries of religious wars and reforms within the Catholic Church. It shifted power from papal authority toward individual interpretation of scripture and national churches, influencing modern concepts of religious freedom and secular governance.