SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. How would Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses have challenged Catholic Church practices on indulgences and authority? 2. Discuss how Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses signals a shift in religious beliefs and practices from the sixteenth century to the Reformation.
SOURCE3 Luther fastening his Ninety-Five Theses to the Wittenberg Cathedral door on 31 October 1517
3. How did the changes
initiated by Luther affect the relationship between the Church and the people in the following decades?
2.4.2
Why did Luther and his followers survive?
In the past, people who challenged the Church were called heretics and were burned alive. In 1520, the Pope declared Luther a heretic and excommunicated him in 1521. However, Luther quickly gained many supporters, called Protestants because they protested against the Catholic Church. His followers became known as Lutherans. Luther’s ideas spread through printed pamphlets, gaining support from several German rulers. Inspired by Luther’s revolt, many oppressed peasants rose up against feudal lords in 1525, attacking castles. However, Luther opposed this social revolution and urged rulers to crush it (see SOURCES4 and 5 ). After their defeat, the peasants turned away from Lutheranism.
SOURCE4 Peasants burning and looting during the Peasants’ War, 1524–25
TOPIC2 Emergence of the modern world in Europe 29
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