Key Idea: How Luther's protest in 1517 split Western Christianity, and how the Catholic Church fought back by 1563.
How the Reformation started
- Conditions — Church abuses (indulgences, simony, pluralism) and humanist criticism from Erasmus.
- Trigger — Tetzel's indulgence campaign led to Luther's Ninety-Five Theses (1517).
- Escalation — The Leipzig Debate (1519) and three tracts (1520) turned a local quarrel into a new theology.
- Protection — The printing press, Frederick the Wise and friendly princes gave Luther safety and readers.
- Roots — The Diets of Worms (1521) and Speyer (1526, 1529) fixed Lutheranism in German politics.
Conflict and the Catholic response
- The Knights' Revolt (1522 to 1523) and Peasants' War (1524 to 1525) turned religion into social revolt; Luther sided with the princes.
- Protestant princes formed the Schmalkaldic League (1531); Charles V won at Mühlberg (1547) but could not hold his gains.
- Peace of Augsburg (1555): each ruler chose his land's religion.
- Paul III called the Council of Trent (1545 to 1563), approved the Jesuits and set up the Roman Inquisition.
Abuse made the spark, print spread the fire, princes protected it, and Trent hardened the Catholic answer.
What are Luther's three core ideas? Faith alone, scripture alone, and the priesthood of all believers.
Why did the Peasants' War tie Lutheranism to the princes? Luther condemned the rebels, so his movement relied on princely power.
Did Trent compromise with Protestants? No. It hardened Catholic doctrine.
Who wrote the Augsburg Confession? Melanchthon, in 1530.