Exactly 500 years ago Martin Luther refused to recant (take back) his criticism of the Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms.

Martin Luther was a German monk and scholar who sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517 when he nailed 95 theses (statements) to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. He criticized many (corrupt) practices of the church, especially the sale of indulgences, which practically were documents you could buy to cancel out your sins.

In 1517 the Pope issued a new round of indulgences hoping to get more funds for the construction of St Peter's basilica in Rome. This infuriated Luther who had witnessed first-hand how huge sums of money were spent on extravagant churches in Rome instead of helping the poor.

Apart from addressing corruption, Luther also argued for the democratization of the church: Bibles should be translated into popular languages and read by the people, services held in the language of the people and churches should be led by its local members/leaders, not people in Rome.

Luther's 95 theses quickly spread in Europe aided by the recently invented printing press. The Church tried everything in its power to stop Luther, but it didn't work. He was excommunicated (nowadays we would say cancelled) and was summoned to the Diet (assembly) of Worms to defend his beliefs.

During the trial Luther didn't give in and he would get into heated debates with everyone present. Finally, he was declared an outlaw and heretic and had to seriously fear for his life. Some German rulers decided to protect him and Luther continued his work, founded his own church and translated the Bible in German.

We could say that 1521 was the official start of the Reformation as powerful rulers decided to defy the church and embrace Protestantism. In the centuries to follow, Europe would face many devastating wars fueled by religious conflict. 

Originally posted on Instagram on April 18, 2021