1517 - The Start of the Reformation?

Martin Luther

1517 is the year often marked as the start of the European Reformation - but was the key event of this year, really that momentous at all?

In 1505, a young man from Germany was caught in a terrible storm and feared for his life. He said a prayer, vowing that if he survived the tempestuous weather that he would become a monk. He did survive, and did indeed become a monk - the young man's name, was Martin Luther.

Fast forward to 1517, and Germany remains a pious nation still heavily intertwined with the Papacy. However, there is some anti-clerical feeling and resentment starting to come to the surface of society, and those who ascribed to these feelings found their voice in Martin Love Luther.

On 31 October, 1517, Luther nails his famous 95 thesis to the door of a church, which is near the castle in Saxon town of Wittenburg. Here he listed all the issues, as he seems them, with the church at that time and this act has gone down in history as the start of the Protestantism. However, while this was a key moment, and the start of Luther's joueny, this door in fact acted as a bulletin board for the university - things were nailed to it all of the time - and as such, his nailing a list of points for discussion to it, was not a radical, heretical act, but fairly commonplace.

Luther was not calling for a new religion, church, or Pope, his major issue was with abuses of the church, in particular, the selling of indulgences.

Indulgences

Sin in life needed to be paid for. This could be achieved through hard work or acts of charity, but you could also receive a certificate or token from the church which in essence chipped away at some of the time needed to be spent in purgatory - and these tokens could be paid for, or given in exchange for work. While this was initially intended as a morally agreeable system, it was open to corruption. For example, if a priest wanted to raise money he could do this through the selling of indulgences.

One sarcastic remark from the time illustrates this:

'As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory to heaven springs.'

Luther's defining moment

Luther's defining moment came when, during a debate, he argued that Popes and the church are able to make errors. Therefore, your only infallible guide on your spiritual journey, must be scripture. As such, he suggested that more attention should be paid to the scripture, than the Pope. This led to his excommunication, which he famously burnt.

Henry VIII - The Defender of the Faith

At this point in time, Henry VIII was still a supporter of the Papacy, and was outraged by what Luther was saying. In response, Henry wrote a text called In Defence of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther. The Pope was so pleased with this act of support, that he rewarded Henry with the title ' Defender of the Faith'.

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