The Ninety-five Theses were a list of propositions for academic debate written by the German monk and theologian Martin Luther, which attacked the sale of indulgences by the church. They were sent in late October 1517 to Albrecht, archbishop of Mainz, and in later accounts Luther is said to have nailed them to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, though historians disagree about whether that happened. Thanks to the printing press, the text spread quickly across Germany and beyond, turning a local controversy into a wider movement. It led to Luther's excommunication, and to the Protestant Reformation that divided Western Christianity.
Before and after
- from 13 September 1515 to 14 September 1515Battle of Marignano
- from 1516 to 1517Ottoman–Mamluk War of 1516–17
- 18 February 1516Birth of Mary I
- from 31 October 1517 to 1 January 1648Protestant Reformation
- 31 October 1517Ninety-five Theses
- 31 October 1517Origins of Lutheranism
- 10 November 1517Origins of Protestantism
- 1518Dancing Plague of 1518
- 1 January 1519Origins of Reformed Christianity
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The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.