The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event. The Reformation is considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648; however, many of the denominations that arose during that period continue to exist and Protestantism constitutes one of the branches of Christi...
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The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event. The Reformation is considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648; however, many of the denominations that arose during that period continue to exist and Protestantism constitutes one of the branches of Christianity today.
The movement began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church. Many western Catholics were troubled by what they saw as false doctrines and malpractices within the church, particularly involving the teaching and sale of indulgences. Another major contention was the practice of buying and selling church positions (simony) and what was seen at the time as considerable corruption within the church's hierarchy. This corruption was seen by many at the time as systemic, even reaching the position of the Pope.
Martin Luther's spiritual...
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