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The 14th Century: Corruption In The Catholic Church

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Corruption in the Catholic Church was a serious issue by the late Middle Ages; “It had been in disarray since the Avignon papacy and the Great Schism of the fourteenth century (Matthews, Platt, Noble, Experience Humanities, pg. 366).” At this time, the Church was focused on Italian politics and committed to worldly interests. The Church was also losing power to secular rulers who strived to bring their subjects back under state control (Matthews, Platt, Noble, Experience Humanities, pg. 367). As no unified kingdom was developing in Germany, the Church had great power there. German princes were struggling to release themselves from the control of Charles V and Church reform was not a priority. In 1520, Martin Luther changed the course of history. The …show more content…

368). Martin Luther, a monk at the time, wrote the Ninety-Five Theses in response to the selling of indulgences in Germany to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The Ninety-Five Theses questioned the legitimacy of indulgences and challenged the sacraments of confession and penance as well as the authority of the pope. Martin Luther intended his Ninety-Five Theses to spark a debate about church practices at the university where he taught. Instead, however, he ignited criticism against the church and placed himself at the front line of reformation. The Archbishop of Mainz forwarded the Ninety-Five Theses to Rome for review in 1517. The Church was initially hesitant about their punishment for Martin Luther, but in 1520, Pope Leo X sent a papal bull warning Luther that he risked being excommunicated if he didn’t recant his writing. Luther set fire to the document in public which branded him as a heretic and an outlaw (Matthews, Platt, Noble, Experience Humanities, pg. 368). The Pope excommunicated him in January of

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