For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church held unquestioned authority across Western Europe. That began to shift during the Renaissance in the 1400s, when new ideas and technologies sparked widespread change. One of the most transformative inventions was the printing press, developed around 1450. Suddenly, ordinary people could access printed materials—including the Bible—and explore the writings of reformers who challenged church practices.

The term Reformation refers to a broad movement of religious change, most notably during the 1500s. Though Martin Luther wasn’t the first to raise concerns, his actions became a turning point. A German priest and professor, Luther publicly opposed the sale of indulgences—a practice he saw as deeply corrupt. In 1517, he posted his famous Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking what we now call the Protestant Reformation.

This movement reshaped Christianity, empowered individual faith, and forever changed the course of history.