Key learning points

1. Martin Luther rebelled against the religious authority of his time.
2. Martin Luther was an important figure in the Protestant Reformation.
3. He rebelled against what he understood to be incorrect beliefs and practices in the Roman Catholic Church at his time.
4. The author and context of a historical source should be considered when assessing its usefulness.

Keywords

• Indulgences - ways through which Christians in the Catholic Church may be granted some reduction in the punishment of sins after forgiveness by God

• Protestant Reformation - a Christian religious movement in the 16th century that aimed to reform the Catholic Church, but caused new denominations to be created

• Purgatory - the process or place where a person's soul is prepared for heaven after death

• Theses - statements or ideas put forward for discussion, argument or debate

• Monk - a member of a religious group of men who often live separate from the rest of society

Common misconception