Important Protests and Riots That Changed the World Forever

29. The Protestant Reformation in 16th Century Europe

Martin Luther, in 1517, wrote Ninety-Five Theses, criticizing openly the way western Church and the Papacy exerted authority and maintained discrepancies in matters of religious beliefs, perceived to be the root of the problem. His ideas had such a profound effect that in 1521, the Pope ordered Luther to denounce his works at the Edict of Worms.

Obviously, Luther did not, resulting in his excommunication and a ban on spreading his ideas. A schism developed between the people and the Papacy, with loyalty crumbling and increasing unrest.

At this point, many prominent figures across Europe radicalised the reforms, stoking the fires of Lutheran ideas that eventually split the Western Church into Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.