Martin Luther was a catholic monk who was very religious, however he had his own ideas on the Catholic Religion. He believed that people made it into heaven themselves and not by paying for indulgences. As he says in the 95 Theses "I do not bring accusation against the outcries of the preachers, which I have not heard, so much I grieve over the wholly false impressions which the people have received from them (the indulgences.)" Martin Luther challenged the Church because he didn't think that their intentions were to make the citizens believe that by buying indulgences they would get into heaven. He wasn't against the indulgences he just thought that the people were seeing them as something they weren't. Martin Luther didn't know that the Catholic Church was actually intentionally preaching to the citizens about paying for passage way into heaven. They did this so they could send money to Rome to build cathedrals. Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses to explain all the things wrong with the indulgences he sent this to the Archbishop. He didn't think that the Archbishop knew what was happening and that he should inform him, but instead the Pope took it as being heretical and excommunicated Luther from the Catholic Church.
Martin Luther's intentions were good at first for the people, but then his intention changed. Martin Luther had gotten power from writing the 95 theses. Martin Luther was sympathetic to the peasants because the peasants believed that Luther could change their lives and give them more freedom. So what Martin Luther did was make an admonition to Peace. However, when the peasants started the Peasants Revolt Martin Luther decided that he was going to side with the German rulers. Once he was on the German rulers side he wrote documents such as Against the Murderous and Thieving Hordes of Peasants. Martin Luther had so much power that the Prince saw these documents as the approval for harsh military action. Martin Luther's writing had allowed German soldiers and mercenaries to slaughter the peasants. In the end about one hundred thousand peasants were killed and hundreds of thousands were now homeless. So all though Luther may have helped the peasants and people out at first he made decisions that were not for the good of the people.
Links:
95 Theses document:
Indulgences video:
Peasants Revolt Video:
Definitions:
Heretic - Person who has betrayed the Church and it's laws.
Excommunicated - Banished from the Church. The Pope banished Luther on June 15, 1520.
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