Martin Luther's Accidental Reformations

In 1517, on All Hallow's Eve, Martin Luther stood up for what he believes in and placed his 95 Theses upon the church door in Wittenberg. This was just the beginning of the roller coaster of events that were to unfold because of Luther's actions. The Catholic church took these Theses as an outright bash towards them, and they would not sit by idly while someone took hits at them. Luther was claiming that the church was taking advantage of the common folks' money, and abusing the economy. The church did not take this accusation lightly, no matter how right he may be; they named Luther and all of his books heretical. This was nothing to be taken lightly because most heretics were drowned or burned at the stake. Luther sought to find courage in the face of adversity.

 Martin Luther hanging his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg church

Pope Leo X demanded that Martin Luther renounce his theses, and recant his words and ideas against the Catholic church. The pope even had a cardinal interrogate Luther. The church in Rome became very aggravated with Luther, and even threatened excommunication, the highest threat someone from the church give hand out; this would people back then believed would limit Luther's chances of being granted access to the Holy Land upon his death. At the time he may not have realized it, but he was forming a religion of his own; this one based on his morals and understanding of what the Bible says. He would change the way that people thought about religion. There would be rules and sacraments changed. This new found religion would go on to be called Protestantism.

A drawing of the average printing press of Martin Luther's time

One of Luther's revolutions as a cultural leader was that he was one of the first people to take full advantage of the printing press at the time. He needed a way to spread his word to places beyond his reach, and that a vast many people could get and read. This proved a vast help in his cause of revealing the truth to people of all sorts. The printing press was a means of spreading ideas to a larger audience, and it served its purpose well; many people began to read and learn about what Luther had to say, and they believed that he was right. Luther printed books in his own form of the German vernacular, and this aided in the beginning of a common language in the German Nation. His voice was one that many people could relate to; he wrote in a way that people found interesting to read. He didn't hold back anything, he wrote what he thought no matter how crude or obscene. This was something that bonded him with the German peasants; there would even be wood carvings for those that could not read. Luther even goes on to eventually translate a Bible so that it is accessible to the common people.
 

A Bible translated into German by Martin Luther

Luther knew that if he really wanted to have things change, he would have to get a greater power on his side. He decided to involve the Christian nobility of the time, and to sway them towards his view. Their eyes were opened to the corrupt nature of the church, and that the money that they were earning for the church was being abused and misused. The pope and his church were being too self-indulgent with the money that was given to them. The church had many more people in its service than it really needed. Luther told them that every German landholder deserved their own stake in the churches on their land. Politically, Luther was beginning something that he could never have expected. Revolution broke out among the peasants; they interpreted his words in a way that they thought he meant for them to be free of their masters, to be independent. They believe in social discipline, relief of the poor, and education. The Reformation would mean changes for churches and peasants all over Germany.

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