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In a castle 
in the heart of Germany

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in 1521,

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a monk on the run took refuge.

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He was in disguise 
and using an alias.

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A few days earlier,

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the holy Roman emperor 
had branded him an outlaw,

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and now 
he could be killed at will.

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For nearly a year, that monk 
hid out in this castle

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while shock waves 
from his supposed crimes

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reverberated throughout Europe.

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His name? Martin Luther.

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This is the story of Luther 
and the Reformation.

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And it's more.

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It's the story of progress,

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from medieval darkness 
to Renaissance humanism,

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and how it's with great struggle

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that societies earn freedom 
as they evolve.

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Hi, I'm Rick Steves.

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500 years ago, Martin Luther 
kicked off the Reformation.

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In the next hour,

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we'll trace the dramatic events 
of this grassroots movement

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that changed 
the course of history.

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With this upheaval, 
Christianity in Western Europe

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was split in two -- between 
Protestants and Catholics.

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This split happened 
to a medieval world

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permeated and stabilized by one 
all-encompassing religion.

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But that world was colliding

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with the new ideas 
of the Renaissance.

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It was rocked 
by fearless explorers

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and adventurous thinkers.

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And one of these great minds

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belonged to a humble German monk 
named Martin Luther,

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who could no longer stay silent

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about the wealth and corruption 
of his Church.

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His controversial teaching 
and preaching

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brought him into conflict 
with the pope

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and the holy Roman emperor,

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leading to a bold showdown 
watched by all of Europe.

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This courageous stand by one man 
sparked a century of conflict.

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It started as a war of words,

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but eventually spiraled 
into actual war,

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changing Europe and Christianity 
forever

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and contributing to the birth 
of our modern world.

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The story of Martin Luther,

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the man who would become 
the most notorious, celebrated,

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and provocative figure 
of his age

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begins here,

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in the bucolic German 
countryside south of Berlin.

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When Luther was born in 
this house in Eisleben in 1483,

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he entered a world 
that was still medieval.

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Most people 
lived in humble villages.

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They tilled the fields.

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They lived their entire lives 
in a single place,

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poor and illiterate.

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They bowed down 
to the local duke,

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who protected them 
from rampaging bandits.

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And in every town, 
overseeing it all

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was the biggest and richest 
structure in town -- the church.

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Though most people were poor,

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Luther's father owned 
a copper mining business,

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and his son 
got the best education

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this remote land could offer.

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Luther's story was set here 
in rural Germany

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at the end of the Middle Ages.

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But to understand 
the Reformation,

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we need to go back 1,000 years 
to far-off Rome.

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When the ancient Roman Empire 
fell around the year 500,

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it created a power vacuum

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that left Europe in relative 
poverty and stagnation

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for 10 centuries -- 
the Middle Ages.

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During that difficult time,

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the Roman Catholic Church 
held Europe together.

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It provided more than religion.

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It provided stability.

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It was the one thing 
that united a fractured Europe,

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offering continuity and comfort 
in a troubled age.

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Echoes of ancient Rome 
lived on in the Church.

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Roman senators became bishops,

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the design of their law courts 
-- called "basilicas" --

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became the design 
of their churches,

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And the Roman emperor 
(called the "pontifex maximus")

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became the Christian pope

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(also called 
the "pontifex maximus").

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The Church was "Roman" 
because it was ruled from Rome

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and "catholic", 
a word that means "universal."

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Through the Middle Ages,

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the Church condoned a kind of 
institutionalized slavery --

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that was feudalism.

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Feudal European society 
was made of three parts --

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The nobility 
had the secular power

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and owned most of the land.

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The Church, 
which was the educated elite,

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controlled the word of God, and 
provided spiritual blessings.

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And the down-trodden peasantry 
-- they did all the hard labor.

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For commoners -- that was 
90% of the population --

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life was pretty miserable.

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Most children died 
before adulthood.

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Punishments for the poor 
were harsh.

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[ Bell ringing ]

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The plague, which routinely 
devastated towns,

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killing a third 
of the population,

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was thought to be 
the wrath of God.

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It was a frightful time.

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People worked the land, hoping 
only to survive the winter.

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Life for the vast majority 
was a dreary existence,

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tolerable only as a preparation 
for heaven.

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The Church offered 
a glimmer of hope

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with the promise of 
eternal happiness in paradise.

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Art was considered worthwhile 
and legitimate

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only as long 
as it glorified God.

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Entire communities dedicated 
generations of their resources

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to constructing the biggest 
buildings of the age:

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awe-inspiring cathedrals 
lit by splendid stained glass.

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The Church commissioned 
society's greatest art --

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statues, pulpits, 
and altar pieces,

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all done anonymously.

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And Europe's faithful masses 
paid the price,

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and carried the stone.

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To this day, all over Europe, 
you can see the legacy

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of this great medieval 
"Age of Faith" --

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soaring naves topped with 
elaborate Gothic arches

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and flooded 
with a heavenly light.

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Art was a tool of the Church, 
both to teach, and to terrify.

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Imagine, once a week,

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illiterate peasants 
would walk into a church

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and be wonder-struck 
by stained glass,

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towering columns, 
and glittering glories.

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Church art gave them a glimpse 
of the amazing heaven

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that would reward 
only the faithful...

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and the terrible hell 
awaiting those who disobeyed.

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Martin Luther lived at 
the end of this period,

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but on the cusp 
of dramatic change --

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the dawn of the modern age.

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In 1501, 18-year-old Martin 
moved to the city of Erfurt,

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where he attended law school.

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Even today, this half-timbered 
medieval town,

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with a shallow river 
gurgling through its center,

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remains an inviting destination.

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Erfurt's venerable university

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produced many 
illustrious alumni.

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But a good education 
didn't come easy.

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Medieval students 
had a rough life.

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They got up at 4:00 
in the morning to attend mass,

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ate two simple meals a day, 
and only took one bath a month.

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On the upside, students were 
given a liter of beer per meal.

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Martin enjoyed his college days 
here in Erfurt.

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Like any normal kid, he studied 
hard, and he partied hard.

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As a schoolboy, young Martin 
developed his appetite

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for learning, music, 
and the Bible.

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A deep thinker and a big 
personality even at a young age,

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his friends nicknamed him 
"the philosopher."

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And his love of good German beer

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earned him the title 
"king of hops."

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Luther's father had planned that 
his son would become a lawyer,

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but that safe career path 
was suddenly sidetracked

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by an event that seemed to him 
like destiny.

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In July of 1505, 
as he was traveling to school,

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Martin was caught 
in a violent storm

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and nearly struck by 
a bolt of lightning.

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Terrified, he promised that 
if he survived the storm,

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he'd dedicate his life to God.

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Soon after, 21-year-old Martin

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checked into Erfurt's 
Augustinian monastery --

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famous for its discipline 
and scholarship.

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The former party boy took a vow

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of chastity, poverty, 
and obedience

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and became a monk.

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Luther set out to become 
an A-plus monk.

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He did everything he could 
to please God.

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He studied ancient Greek 
and Hebrew

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in order to read the earliest 
manuscripts of the Bible.

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He'd spend hours at a time 
in confession

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and lie overnight on this tomb, 
arms outstretched,

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to meditate on his faith.

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He was ordained a priest

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and said his first mass 
in this church.

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By age 23, Martin Luther 
was a dedicated priest

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in the Roman Catholic Church,

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and on the fast track 
to a brilliant career

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as a professor of theology.

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And yet, in spite of all this,

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he remained tormented by 
feelings of unworthiness.

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He was consumed 
by a spiritual obsession --

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coming to terms with 
his relationship as a sinner

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with a demanding 
and judgmental God.

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In 1505, the same year

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that Luther entered 
the monastery in Germany,

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hundreds of miles to the south, 
in Italy,

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Florence was celebrating 
the unveiling

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of a brand-new symbol 
of the city --

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Michelangelo's "David."

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David also symbolized a new age, 
known as the Renaissance.

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Looking into the confidence 
in David's face

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as he sizes up the giant 
he's about to kill,

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the Florentines saw optimism, 
the goodness of creation,

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and the power of the individual 
to affect change --

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in a word, humanism.

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That's why the Renaissance was 
about more than just pretty art.

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It was a revolution of ideas.

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The Renaissance, 
which means "rebirth,"

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sought to rediscover 
Western civilization's

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ancient Greek and Roman roots.

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And with humanism,

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the importance of the individual 
skyrocketed.

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This "rebirth" opened up a whole 
new world of possibility --

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in science, politics, 
and economics.

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Religion was also seen 
in a new light.

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Life was suddenly about more

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than preparing 
for the hereafter.

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Artists saw themselves 
as an extension

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of God's creative powers.

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Both in subject matter, 
like beautiful nude bodies --

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and in theme,

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humanists embraced 
the full human experience.

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Rather than just bowing down 
in church,

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Renaissance artists and thinkers

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sought to express 
the glory of humanity

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and, in doing so, 
to glorify God.

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Other big changes 
were also percolating.

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Imagine Europe's class of 1500.

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Great thinkers 
like Leonardo da Vinci

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embraced science 
and studied nature.

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Gutenberg's printing press 
made books affordable,

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allowing knowledge 
to spread rapidly.

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Michelangelo was chipping away 
at his early masterpieces,

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Machiavelli 
was shaping modern politics,

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Columbus 
stumbled upon the Americas,

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Copernicus was putting the earth 
in its place,

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and Martin Luther, among other 
courageous reformers,

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00:12:01,450 --> 00:12:06,183
would soon be questioning 
1500 years of Church tradition.

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With all this progress,

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two important movements 
in European history

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were about to intersect:

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the Renaissance and the coming 
Protestant Reformation.

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But first, Luther had to address 
his inner turmoil,

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and a life-changing trip 
helped make that happen.

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In 1510, seeking a way

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to help the troubled young monk 
overcome his demons,

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Brother Martin's superiors 
at the monastery

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sent him on a pilgrimage.

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He walked 700 miles 
through a harsh winter,

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over the Alps, 
down the spine of Italy

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on a pilgrim's trail 
just like this.

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His destination -- the hometown 
of his Christian faith,

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the city of Rome.

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Imagine Luther, the weary 
yet wide-eyed young pilgrim,

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00:12:47,250 --> 00:12:48,317
trekking for weeks...

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00:12:48,317 --> 00:12:52,150
and finally cresting this hill 
and seeing Rome.

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Passing through the gates 
of the city,

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he dropped to his knees and 
said, "Hail, holy city of Rome!"

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He would have seen 
many of the same sights

252
00:13:01,717 --> 00:13:04,617
that tourists and pilgrims 
enjoy today,

253
00:13:04,617 --> 00:13:07,417
places like 
the fabled Colosseum,

254
00:13:07,417 --> 00:13:08,417
the glorious Pantheon --

255
00:13:08,417 --> 00:13:11,117
where pilgrims remembered 
early Christian martyrs

256
00:13:11,117 --> 00:13:12,350
sent to their deaths,

257
00:13:12,350 --> 00:13:15,350
and churches approached 
by long stairways --

258
00:13:15,350 --> 00:13:18,783
busy with worshippers 
climbing on their knees.

259
00:13:18,783 --> 00:13:22,050
He marveled at 
exquisite basilicas,

260
00:13:22,050 --> 00:13:24,150
and gazed at Castel Sant'Angelo,

261
00:13:24,150 --> 00:13:25,817
the fortress 
where the pope would take refuge

262
00:13:25,817 --> 00:13:29,617
when the city was under siege 
in that rough-and-tumble age.

263
00:13:29,617 --> 00:13:33,883
Luther crossed this bridge, 
the venerable Ponte Sant'Angelo,

264
00:13:33,883 --> 00:13:36,250
to reach the highlight 
of his pilgrimage --

265
00:13:36,250 --> 00:13:37,850
St. Peter's Basilica.

266
00:13:37,850 --> 00:13:41,417
Today's basilica stands 
on the tomb of St. Peter --

267
00:13:41,417 --> 00:13:43,850
the spot where, 
nearly 2,000 years ago,

268
00:13:43,850 --> 00:13:48,483
Christianity became 
solidly established in Europe.

269
00:13:48,483 --> 00:13:51,317
It's believed that Peter, 
Jesus' right-hand man,

270
00:13:51,317 --> 00:13:52,883
was crucified for his beliefs

271
00:13:52,883 --> 00:13:55,617
right here 
at a chariot racecourse,

272
00:13:55,617 --> 00:13:59,450
which was decorated 
by this obelisk.

273
00:13:59,883 --> 00:14:03,317
His followers buried his body 
in a humble graveyard

274
00:14:03,317 --> 00:14:05,283
on the Vatican Hill -- 
just over there.

275
00:14:05,283 --> 00:14:09,150
For three centuries, Christians 
worshipped quietly at his grave.

276
00:14:09,150 --> 00:14:12,617
In the fourth century, after 
Christianity was legalized,

277
00:14:12,617 --> 00:14:17,617
a huge church was built 
directly upon Peter's tomb.

278
00:14:17,983 --> 00:14:22,283
While today's basilica was built 
shortly after Luther's visit,

279
00:14:22,283 --> 00:14:23,650
stepping into the grand church,

280
00:14:23,650 --> 00:14:25,683
Luther would have had 
an experience

281
00:14:25,683 --> 00:14:27,650
much like pilgrims do now.

282
00:14:27,650 --> 00:14:30,283
He'd have seen Peter 
everywhere --

283
00:14:30,283 --> 00:14:35,617
in artwork, his tomb,

284
00:14:35,617 --> 00:14:38,183
and in the words that Christ 
spoke to his disciple,

285
00:14:38,183 --> 00:14:40,883
which gave the popes in Rome 
their holy authority --

286
00:14:40,883 --> 00:14:45,683
"You are Peter, and upon this 
rock I will build my church."

287
00:14:45,683 --> 00:14:47,650
And, like today's pilgrims,

288
00:14:47,650 --> 00:14:49,783
Martin Luther lined up 
to kiss the foot --

289
00:14:49,783 --> 00:14:52,817
worn shiny by over 1,000 years 
of veneration --

290
00:14:52,817 --> 00:14:57,617
of this very statue of Peter, 
the first pope.

291
00:14:57,617 --> 00:15:00,483
Despite all the history 
and grandeur,

292
00:15:00,483 --> 00:15:02,450
Luther was struck 
by the contradiction

293
00:15:02,450 --> 00:15:05,117
between the enormous wealth 
of the Church

294
00:15:05,117 --> 00:15:06,283
and the Bible's emphasis

295
00:15:06,283 --> 00:15:09,783
on simplicity and caring 
for the poor.

296
00:15:09,783 --> 00:15:12,017
During Luther's visit,

297
00:15:12,017 --> 00:15:14,050
the bombastic Pope Julius II

298
00:15:14,050 --> 00:15:15,717
was in the midst 
of spending a fortune

299
00:15:15,717 --> 00:15:18,483
for an extravagant remodel 
of his church.

300
00:15:18,483 --> 00:15:21,150
In addition, 
the pope had hired Raphael

301
00:15:21,150 --> 00:15:23,617
to decorate 
his personal living quarters

302
00:15:23,617 --> 00:15:26,617
with elaborate frescoes

303
00:15:26,617 --> 00:15:29,983
and Michelangelo 
to paint his sanctuary --

304
00:15:29,983 --> 00:15:33,017
the Sistine Chapel.

305
00:15:33,017 --> 00:15:34,417
All this was to be financed

306
00:15:34,417 --> 00:15:40,117
by money extracted from faithful 
parishioners across Europe.

307
00:15:41,483 --> 00:15:44,317
Over the centuries, 
the Church, ruled from Rome,

308
00:15:44,317 --> 00:15:47,617
had grown increasingly corrupt 
and worldly.

309
00:15:47,617 --> 00:15:51,483
Popes, bishops, and priests 
lived in luxury

310
00:15:51,483 --> 00:15:52,450
while others struggled,

311
00:15:52,450 --> 00:15:55,983
tarnishing 
the Church's reputation.

312
00:15:55,983 --> 00:15:59,017
The Church hierarchy 
had become materialistic

313
00:15:59,017 --> 00:16:00,617
and entangled with politics.

314
00:16:00,617 --> 00:16:05,183
Sins were crimes, and tithes 
were collected like taxes.

315
00:16:05,183 --> 00:16:09,983
Popes waged war, and bishops 
were treated like royalty --

316
00:16:09,983 --> 00:16:11,450
when one entered the room,

317
00:16:11,450 --> 00:16:14,650
you knelt 
and made a show of humility.

318
00:16:14,650 --> 00:16:15,317
The Church --

319
00:16:15,317 --> 00:16:18,150
tasked with protecting 
1500 years of tradition --

320
00:16:18,150 --> 00:16:22,717
had grown conservative, even as 
times were changing quickly.

321
00:16:22,717 --> 00:16:25,317
While scientists 
and progressive thinkers

322
00:16:25,317 --> 00:16:26,683
were introducing new ideas,

323
00:16:26,683 --> 00:16:28,617
the Church, 
which defended the notion

324
00:16:28,617 --> 00:16:31,617
that the world 
was the center of the universe,

325
00:16:31,617 --> 00:16:33,683
fought against these new ideas.

326
00:16:33,683 --> 00:16:36,617
And the Church 
was the keeper of knowledge.

327
00:16:36,617 --> 00:16:38,617
Knowledge is power, 
and in Europe,

328
00:16:38,617 --> 00:16:39,617
until modern times,

329
00:16:39,617 --> 00:16:43,617
church abbey libraries 
held most of the books.

330
00:16:43,617 --> 00:16:45,617
And locked away 
in these libraries

331
00:16:45,617 --> 00:16:48,017
were any books 
with threatening ideas --

332
00:16:48,017 --> 00:16:51,817
the "libri prohibiti," 
or prohibited books.

333
00:16:51,817 --> 00:16:55,783
Church leaders were the 
gate-keepers to this knowledge,

334
00:16:55,783 --> 00:16:59,517
and they alone had the key.

335
00:17:00,717 --> 00:17:04,650
Back then, access to the Bible 
was also controlled.

336
00:17:04,650 --> 00:17:06,617
It was only available in Latin,

337
00:17:06,617 --> 00:17:09,283
which only the educated elites 
of medieval Europe,

338
00:17:09,283 --> 00:17:10,983
which was the clergy, 
could read.

339
00:17:10,983 --> 00:17:14,617
For over 1,000 years, 
mass had been said in Latin.

340
00:17:14,617 --> 00:17:17,317
Priests would interpret the Word 
of God to the parishioner,

341
00:17:17,317 --> 00:17:21,250
who had little choice 
but to simply nod in agreement.

342
00:17:21,250 --> 00:17:23,950
In Rome, 
Luther came face-to-face

343
00:17:23,950 --> 00:17:26,650
with this worldly corruption 
at its worst.

344
00:17:26,650 --> 00:17:29,783
And one thing he found 
particularly troubling --

345
00:17:29,783 --> 00:17:31,950
the veneration of holy relics.

346
00:17:31,950 --> 00:17:35,617
Relics were the physical remains 
of something holy --

347
00:17:35,617 --> 00:17:40,450
a saint's bone, a piece of the 
cross, or a drop of holy blood.

348
00:17:40,450 --> 00:17:44,250
Rome was the richest place 
in Christendom for relics,

349
00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:47,250
which helped make it 
the ultimate destination

350
00:17:47,250 --> 00:17:47,717
for pilgrims.

351
00:17:47,717 --> 00:17:53,250
And the pilgrimage trade was a 
big money-maker for the Church.

352
00:17:53,250 --> 00:17:55,783
Medieval Christians 
believed they'd go to heaven

353
00:17:55,783 --> 00:17:58,017
only if they did more good 
than evil.

354
00:17:58,017 --> 00:18:00,450
And most figured 
they'd fall short.

355
00:18:00,450 --> 00:18:00,983
So when they died,

356
00:18:00,983 --> 00:18:03,783
God would need to purge them 
of their excess sin.

357
00:18:03,783 --> 00:18:06,617
The Church called this 
purging process "purgatory"

358
00:18:06,617 --> 00:18:09,450
and the people thought of it 
as years of misery.

359
00:18:09,450 --> 00:18:11,617
To reduce waiting time 
in purgatory,

360
00:18:11,617 --> 00:18:14,617
the devout accumulated 
good works in this lifetime

361
00:18:14,617 --> 00:18:18,450
by doing penance, 
and by venerating holy relics.

362
00:18:18,450 --> 00:18:19,850
Like any devout pilgrim,

363
00:18:19,850 --> 00:18:23,450
Luther immersed himself 
in the holy sights of Rome

364
00:18:23,450 --> 00:18:25,783
and visited a long list 
of relics.

365
00:18:25,783 --> 00:18:28,850
But he became 
increasingly disenchanted.

366
00:18:28,850 --> 00:18:32,483
He wondered if these objects 
really were that important.

367
00:18:32,483 --> 00:18:35,450
He observed lots of greed 
and hedonism,

368
00:18:35,450 --> 00:18:38,117
and very little spirituality.

369
00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:41,683
It seemed that each spiritual 
favor came with a price.

370
00:18:41,683 --> 00:18:45,517
Corrupt monks and clergy 
were abusing both their powers

371
00:18:45,517 --> 00:18:47,817
and the trust 
of their parishioners.

372
00:18:47,817 --> 00:18:50,717
And Luther bristled 
at the pope's lavish lifestyle

373
00:18:50,717 --> 00:18:56,717
and vanity projects funded 
by the sale of indulgences.

374
00:18:56,717 --> 00:18:59,517
Indulgences worked like this:

375
00:18:59,517 --> 00:19:00,783
The saints lived such holy lives

376
00:19:00,783 --> 00:19:04,350
that they accumulated a surplus 
of "heavenly merits."

377
00:19:04,350 --> 00:19:07,617
These merits could be earned 
or purchased by sinners

378
00:19:07,617 --> 00:19:09,483
and then used 
as a kind of currency

379
00:19:09,483 --> 00:19:11,983
to buy down the consequences 
of their sins.

380
00:19:11,983 --> 00:19:14,617
An indulgence came as a letter 
from the pope,

381
00:19:14,617 --> 00:19:17,717
a kind of coupon 
good for less time in purgatory.

382
00:19:17,717 --> 00:19:19,050
And they were transferable.

383
00:19:19,050 --> 00:19:21,350
An earnest Christian 
could actually buy credit

384
00:19:21,350 --> 00:19:22,617
for his dead loved ones, 
as well.

385
00:19:22,617 --> 00:19:26,983
One day while in Rome, 
Luther visited the Scala Santa

386
00:19:26,983 --> 00:19:29,883
(or "Holy Steps") -- 
brought back from the Holy Land

387
00:19:29,883 --> 00:19:31,783
and believed to be 
the very steps

388
00:19:31,783 --> 00:19:32,850
from Pontius Pilate's palace

389
00:19:32,850 --> 00:19:36,183
that Jesus climbed 
on the day he was convicted.

390
00:19:36,183 --> 00:19:38,883
As Roman Catholic pilgrims 
still do today,

391
00:19:38,883 --> 00:19:41,617
Luther joined the crowd 
and made his way up,

392
00:19:41,617 --> 00:19:44,683
saying the Lord's Prayer 
on each step.

393
00:19:44,683 --> 00:19:47,017
The pilgrim's reward 
for this climb --

394
00:19:47,017 --> 00:19:51,717
fewer years in purgatory 
for each of those steps.

395
00:19:52,517 --> 00:19:55,250
Reaching the top, 
Luther stood up and thought,

396
00:19:55,250 --> 00:19:58,617
"Who knows 
if this is actually true?"

397
00:19:59,783 --> 00:20:02,517
Luther had a lot to think about 
as he hiked home.

398
00:20:02,517 --> 00:20:07,017
Back in Germany, he moved to the 
university town of Wittenberg,

399
00:20:07,017 --> 00:20:09,883
where he became 
a professor of theology.

400
00:20:09,883 --> 00:20:13,617
At the time, 
Wittenberg was on the rise.

401
00:20:13,617 --> 00:20:15,883
The local ruler, 
Prince Frederick the Wise,

402
00:20:15,883 --> 00:20:17,617
was working to make his capital

403
00:20:17,617 --> 00:20:20,350
an intellectual 
and cultural center.

404
00:20:20,350 --> 00:20:23,150
He invited the region's 
best and brightest --

405
00:20:23,150 --> 00:20:26,250
from Luther 
to the painter Lucas Cranach

406
00:20:26,250 --> 00:20:29,650
to Luther's fellow professor 
and theologian,

407
00:20:29,650 --> 00:20:31,283
Philip Melanchthon.

408
00:20:31,283 --> 00:20:34,417
The old center of Wittenberg 
looks much like it did

409
00:20:34,417 --> 00:20:35,817
in Martin Luther's day.

410
00:20:35,817 --> 00:20:38,617
Stately mansions 
stand shoulder to shoulder,

411
00:20:38,617 --> 00:20:42,617
and the main square is dominated 
by its town hall.

412
00:20:44,050 --> 00:20:45,617
Wittenberg's Church of St. Mary

413
00:20:45,617 --> 00:20:50,317
is where young Luther 
preached hundreds of sermons.

414
00:20:52,617 --> 00:20:55,483
As if sorting out 
the spiritual confusion

415
00:20:55,483 --> 00:20:56,617
caused by his time in Rome,

416
00:20:56,617 --> 00:20:59,983
Luther struggled publicly 
through his preaching.

417
00:20:59,983 --> 00:21:00,783
It was a dilemma.

418
00:21:00,783 --> 00:21:03,450
He wanted to be true 
both to his Church

419
00:21:03,450 --> 00:21:05,617
and to his new understanding 
of God.

420
00:21:05,617 --> 00:21:08,983
Things were revving up as it was 
becoming clear to everyone

421
00:21:08,983 --> 00:21:12,450
that there were discrepancies 
between what the Bible taught

422
00:21:12,450 --> 00:21:14,283
and what the Church was doing.

423
00:21:14,283 --> 00:21:16,317
Luther attracted 
larger and larger crowds

424
00:21:16,317 --> 00:21:19,417
as, eventually, both 
his teaching and his writings

425
00:21:19,417 --> 00:21:22,950
directly attacked the corrupt 
practices he'd seen in Rome.

426
00:21:22,950 --> 00:21:26,817
At the altar today, a painting 
shows a charismatic Luther

427
00:21:26,817 --> 00:21:28,817
preaching 
with his hand on the Bible,

428
00:21:28,817 --> 00:21:30,883
recalling 
how he supported his points

429
00:21:30,883 --> 00:21:32,717
not by relying on 
Church tradition

430
00:21:32,717 --> 00:21:35,150
but by quoting directly 
from the gospel.

431
00:21:35,150 --> 00:21:38,617
Luther was not the first 
to question Church practices,

432
00:21:38,617 --> 00:21:41,617
nor was this discontent 
limited to Germany.

433
00:21:41,617 --> 00:21:43,617
But going up against 
the medieval Church

434
00:21:43,617 --> 00:21:46,883
had a history 
of deadly consequences.

435
00:21:46,883 --> 00:21:48,283
Two centuries before Luther,

436
00:21:48,283 --> 00:21:51,617
these evocative and remote 
castles in the south of France

437
00:21:51,617 --> 00:21:53,017
were destroyed 
by the medieval Church

438
00:21:53,017 --> 00:21:58,517
to silence heretical voices 
and keep the Church united.

439
00:21:59,183 --> 00:22:02,050
They were the desperate 
last refuge of the Cathars,

440
00:22:02,050 --> 00:22:07,617
a break-away group of Christians 
who disobeyed Church dictates.

441
00:22:07,617 --> 00:22:11,050
After a terrible period 
of torture and mass burnings,

442
00:22:11,050 --> 00:22:14,417
the Cathars were wiped out.

443
00:22:15,117 --> 00:22:16,683
A century after the Cathars,

444
00:22:16,683 --> 00:22:19,717
Jan Hus of Prague 
also confronted the Church

445
00:22:19,717 --> 00:22:21,517
and met a similar fate.

446
00:22:21,517 --> 00:22:23,617
He demanded 
that ordinary Christians

447
00:22:23,617 --> 00:22:24,683
be allowed to take communion

448
00:22:24,683 --> 00:22:27,050
with both the bread 
and the wine,

449
00:22:27,050 --> 00:22:29,617
which at the time 
was reserved exclusively

450
00:22:29,617 --> 00:22:31,250
for the priest.

451
00:22:31,250 --> 00:22:32,617
Like Luther, Hus was a professor

452
00:22:32,617 --> 00:22:35,617
who gave controversial sermons 
and challenged Church authority

453
00:22:35,617 --> 00:22:39,583
by translating parts of the 
Bible into the local language.

454
00:22:39,583 --> 00:22:43,583
And, also like Luther, 
Hus was prepared to die

455
00:22:43,583 --> 00:22:45,417
for his convictions.

456
00:22:45,417 --> 00:22:47,517
But Hus was ahead of his time.

457
00:22:47,517 --> 00:22:48,583
Lacking Luther's advantages,

458
00:22:48,583 --> 00:22:50,883
such as the printing press 
to help spread his ideas,

459
00:22:50,883 --> 00:22:57,150
Jan Hus was declared a heretic 
and burned at the stake in 1415.

460
00:22:59,517 --> 00:23:00,417
Back in Wittenberg,

461
00:23:00,417 --> 00:23:03,350
just as Luther was struggling 
with these contradictions

462
00:23:03,350 --> 00:23:05,317
and becoming 
more and more skeptical,

463
00:23:05,317 --> 00:23:07,517
the pope kicked off 
a capital campaign

464
00:23:07,517 --> 00:23:10,883
to build a glorious new 
St. Peter's Church in Rome.

465
00:23:10,883 --> 00:23:12,517
It would be very expensive,

466
00:23:12,517 --> 00:23:14,617
and the German states, 
more fragmented

467
00:23:14,617 --> 00:23:17,017
and therefore easier 
to take advantage of

468
00:23:17,017 --> 00:23:18,183
than other parts of Europe,

469
00:23:18,183 --> 00:23:19,617
would foot much of the bill.

470
00:23:19,617 --> 00:23:22,617
Papal fundraisers 
came out in full force.

471
00:23:22,617 --> 00:23:24,817
With a fanfare of drummers 
and trumpeters,

472
00:23:24,817 --> 00:23:28,950
the fundraising campaign of 
the zealous priest John Tetzel

473
00:23:28,950 --> 00:23:30,683
came to Luther's neighborhood.

474
00:23:30,683 --> 00:23:32,050
They offered letters 
of indulgence

475
00:23:32,050 --> 00:23:36,517
promising full forgiveness for 
all sins, no matter how great,

476
00:23:36,517 --> 00:23:39,617
and absolution 
from all punishments.

477
00:23:39,617 --> 00:23:42,450
As these were 
fully transferable,

478
00:23:42,450 --> 00:23:43,650
indulgences were ideal

479
00:23:43,650 --> 00:23:46,417
for bailing loved ones 
out of purgatory.

480
00:23:46,417 --> 00:23:48,617
Caring and frightened peasants 
lined up to buy

481
00:23:48,617 --> 00:23:53,617
as Tetzel's men sang, "As soon 
as the coin in the coffer rings,

482
00:23:53,617 --> 00:23:57,583
another soul from purgatory 
springs."

483
00:23:57,583 --> 00:23:59,350
[ Coin jingles ]

484
00:23:59,350 --> 00:24:03,417
Luther, with fresh memories of 
the corruption he saw in Rome,

485
00:24:03,417 --> 00:24:03,883
was outraged.

486
00:24:03,883 --> 00:24:06,517
The Bible said nothing 
about buying forgiveness.

487
00:24:06,517 --> 00:24:08,817
And it said nothing 
about purgatory, either.

488
00:24:08,817 --> 00:24:11,617
Luther, now brazenly 
defying both the pope

489
00:24:11,617 --> 00:24:14,517
and over 1,000 years 
of Church tradition,

490
00:24:14,517 --> 00:24:16,317
had become hugely popular.

491
00:24:16,317 --> 00:24:18,617
But internally, 
he was still struggling

492
00:24:18,617 --> 00:24:21,283
with feelings 
of his own unworthiness.

493
00:24:21,283 --> 00:24:24,650
He searched the Bible, 
hungry for an answer.

494
00:24:24,650 --> 00:24:25,717
He was desperate to know,

495
00:24:25,717 --> 00:24:29,617
how could anyone deserve 
or earn salvation?

496
00:24:29,617 --> 00:24:33,683
He found his answer 
in Paul's letter to the Romans.

497
00:24:33,683 --> 00:24:36,983
It read, 
"The just shall live by faith."

498
00:24:36,983 --> 00:24:39,283
With that key phrase, 
Luther discovered

499
00:24:39,283 --> 00:24:41,283
what he considered 
the good news,

500
00:24:41,283 --> 00:24:44,283
that salvation is not earned 
by doing good works

501
00:24:44,283 --> 00:24:45,617
or giving money to the Church.

502
00:24:45,617 --> 00:24:47,683
It's a free gift 
to anyone who believes.

503
00:24:47,683 --> 00:24:50,983
Realizing this, 
Luther actually wrote,

504
00:24:50,983 --> 00:24:54,483
"All at once, I felt 
that I had been born again."

505
00:24:54,483 --> 00:24:57,617
Re-energized, Luther began 
shaping a new theology

506
00:24:57,617 --> 00:25:00,617
that emphasized a personal 
relationship with God.

507
00:25:00,617 --> 00:25:03,517
It was each person's faith 
that mattered,

508
00:25:03,517 --> 00:25:05,517
rather than Church rituals.

509
00:25:05,517 --> 00:25:10,483
By the fall of 1517, 
Luther was ready to go public.

510
00:25:10,483 --> 00:25:13,983
He wrote a treatise, 
known as his 95 Theses,

511
00:25:13,983 --> 00:25:15,617
or points for discussion.

512
00:25:15,617 --> 00:25:20,483
As any good professor should, 
he raised some hard questions.

513
00:25:20,483 --> 00:25:23,050
For example, 
point 82 boldly asked,

514
00:25:23,050 --> 00:25:27,483
"If the pope redeems some souls 
for the sake of miserable money

515
00:25:27,483 --> 00:25:27,883
to buy a church,

516
00:25:27,883 --> 00:25:33,317
why doesn't he empty purgatory 
for the sake of holy love?"

517
00:25:33,783 --> 00:25:36,617
It was here, 
at Wittenberg's Castle Church,

518
00:25:36,617 --> 00:25:39,283
where, on October 31, 1517,

519
00:25:39,283 --> 00:25:41,650
Martin Luther came 
with his 95 points.

520
00:25:41,650 --> 00:25:44,617
According to legend, 
he nailed the list to the door.

521
00:25:44,617 --> 00:25:47,817
It was a kind of community 
bulletin board back then.

522
00:25:47,817 --> 00:25:48,983
It was written in Latin

523
00:25:48,983 --> 00:25:51,483
and intended only 
for scholarly debate.

524
00:25:51,483 --> 00:25:54,283
But its impact turned out 
to be far greater.

525
00:25:54,283 --> 00:25:57,350
Luther's supporters 
spread his ideas.

526
00:25:57,350 --> 00:26:00,883
They were printed up in German 
and spread across the land.

527
00:26:00,883 --> 00:26:03,850
The issues he called attention 
to angered the public.

528
00:26:03,850 --> 00:26:08,183
This was a turning point, 
and now, change was unstoppable.

529
00:26:08,183 --> 00:26:11,050
The sale of indulgences 
dropped dramatically,

530
00:26:11,050 --> 00:26:13,583
and the pope's salesmen 
were run out of town

531
00:26:13,583 --> 00:26:16,283
as German mobs now chanted 
slogans like,

532
00:26:16,283 --> 00:26:18,317
"When the coin rings 
in the pitcher,

533
00:26:18,317 --> 00:26:20,883
the pope becomes even richer."

534
00:26:20,883 --> 00:26:22,617
[ Coin jingles ]

535
00:26:22,617 --> 00:26:25,017
Luther's posting 
of the 95 Theses

536
00:26:25,017 --> 00:26:26,483
kicked off the Reformation.

537
00:26:26,483 --> 00:26:29,617
Many consider this the most 
important religious event

538
00:26:29,617 --> 00:26:31,117
of the last 1,000 years.

539
00:26:31,117 --> 00:26:34,483
And today, 500 years later, 
Reformation Sunday

540
00:26:34,483 --> 00:26:37,283
is still celebrated 
in Protestant churches

541
00:26:37,283 --> 00:26:38,617
each October.

542
00:26:38,617 --> 00:26:42,983
Luther was expert at P.R., 
and his timing was ideal.

543
00:26:42,983 --> 00:26:43,950
While he was a great writer,

544
00:26:43,950 --> 00:26:46,850
he also had the best 
political cartoonist in the land

545
00:26:46,850 --> 00:26:47,517
as a friend

546
00:26:47,517 --> 00:26:50,617
and took full advantage of 
the new-fangled printing press.

547
00:26:50,617 --> 00:26:54,283
Thanks to the printing press, 
his many sermons and essays

548
00:26:54,283 --> 00:26:57,617
could be quickly and cheaply 
mass-produced as booklets.

549
00:26:57,617 --> 00:27:02,950
His writing was witty, concise, 
and often in the local dialect.

550
00:27:02,950 --> 00:27:05,450
His pamphlets 
were instant bestsellers,

551
00:27:05,450 --> 00:27:08,617
nicknamed Flugschriften, 
or writings that fly,

552
00:27:08,617 --> 00:27:11,417
because they spread 
like a flock of birds

553
00:27:11,417 --> 00:27:12,683
to every corner of Europe.

554
00:27:12,683 --> 00:27:17,150
In today's terms, 
his ideas went viral.

555
00:27:17,150 --> 00:27:19,317
And that political cartoonist?

556
00:27:19,317 --> 00:27:20,617
That was Lucas Cranach.

557
00:27:20,617 --> 00:27:24,517
Cranach painted many portraits 
of Luther and his family

558
00:27:24,517 --> 00:27:26,617
and illustrated Luther's books.

559
00:27:26,617 --> 00:27:29,017
Knowing many of his followers 
were illiterate,

560
00:27:29,017 --> 00:27:32,617
Luther used Cranach 
to illustrate his points.

561
00:27:32,617 --> 00:27:34,617
And Cranach did so vividly.

562
00:27:34,617 --> 00:27:38,583
Book covers showed priests 
as bumbling animals,

563
00:27:38,583 --> 00:27:40,583
even the pope as a donkey.

564
00:27:40,583 --> 00:27:44,050
Luther's bold ideas resonated 
with the masses --

565
00:27:44,050 --> 00:27:47,617
"Christ is found 
not in the bones of saints

566
00:27:47,617 --> 00:27:49,017
but in your love for each other,

567
00:27:49,017 --> 00:27:52,617
in the sacraments, 
and in the Holy words."

568
00:27:52,617 --> 00:27:54,983
"God's forgiveness 
cannot be purchased

569
00:27:54,983 --> 00:27:56,583
like a sack of potatoes.

570
00:27:56,583 --> 00:27:59,683
The pope needs more 
prayer than money."

571
00:27:59,683 --> 00:28:02,250
Meanwhile, 
the news of Luther's theology,

572
00:28:02,250 --> 00:28:05,950
attacks on the Church, and 
growing popularity reached Rome.

573
00:28:05,950 --> 00:28:09,517
The new pope, Leo X, 
called Luther a heretic

574
00:28:09,517 --> 00:28:12,817
and sent him a papal bull 
threatening excommunication.

575
00:28:12,817 --> 00:28:17,017
This formal document 
gave Luther 60 days to recant

576
00:28:17,017 --> 00:28:18,717
or be kicked out of the Church.

577
00:28:18,717 --> 00:28:21,617
Luther, 
not cowed by the pope's bull,

578
00:28:21,617 --> 00:28:23,850
responded with a flurry 
of new pamphlets,

579
00:28:23,850 --> 00:28:26,817
further challenging 
Church practices.

580
00:28:26,817 --> 00:28:28,650
Things escalated.

581
00:28:28,650 --> 00:28:30,783
In a legendary tit-for-tat,

582
00:28:30,783 --> 00:28:33,717
the pope ordered 
the burning of Luther's books,

583
00:28:33,717 --> 00:28:37,683
and Luther 
burned the papal bull.

584
00:28:37,950 --> 00:28:40,617
The more the Church 
opposed Luther,

585
00:28:40,617 --> 00:28:42,483
the bolder Luther became.

586
00:28:42,483 --> 00:28:45,617
The two most powerful leaders 
in Europe back then

587
00:28:45,617 --> 00:28:47,617
were the pope, based in Rome,

588
00:28:47,617 --> 00:28:49,017
and the holy Roman emperor,

589
00:28:49,017 --> 00:28:51,650
whose empire 
spanned much of Europe.

590
00:28:51,650 --> 00:28:53,617
The pope was furious.

591
00:28:53,617 --> 00:28:57,450
And the emperor, Charles V, 
being a devout Catholic,

592
00:28:57,450 --> 00:29:00,617
wanted to support his pope.

593
00:29:00,717 --> 00:29:03,783
The emperor could have 
crushed Luther easily.

594
00:29:03,783 --> 00:29:05,583
But Charles 
had a bigger problem.

595
00:29:05,583 --> 00:29:08,417
The Turks were threatening 
Europe from the east,

596
00:29:08,417 --> 00:29:09,617
closing in on Vienna.

597
00:29:09,617 --> 00:29:12,617
Much of Charles' Empire 
was made of German states,

598
00:29:12,617 --> 00:29:15,683
so to defend Europe, 
he needed German support.

599
00:29:15,683 --> 00:29:18,617
Knowing Martin Luther 
had powerful German friends,

600
00:29:18,617 --> 00:29:21,683
the emperor had to deal 
with Luther cautiously.

601
00:29:21,683 --> 00:29:23,817
He agreed 
to give Luther a hearing

602
00:29:23,817 --> 00:29:26,150
and summoned him 
to the imperial diet --

603
00:29:26,150 --> 00:29:27,950
that's like 
a congressional hearing --

604
00:29:27,950 --> 00:29:30,250
in the city of Worms 
on the Rhine River.

605
00:29:30,250 --> 00:29:34,717
The Holy Roman Emperor himself 
traveled to Worms to arbitrate.

606
00:29:34,717 --> 00:29:37,050
Luther's challenge 
to Rome's authority

607
00:29:37,050 --> 00:29:38,617
was cheered by Germans.

608
00:29:38,617 --> 00:29:40,617
Traveling to Worms, 
Luther was greeted

609
00:29:40,617 --> 00:29:43,350
with a hero's welcome 
at every stop.

610
00:29:43,350 --> 00:29:44,617
Pamphlets showed him with a halo

611
00:29:44,617 --> 00:29:48,883
accompanied by a dove, 
symbol of the Holy Spirit.

612
00:29:48,883 --> 00:29:52,450
It's said that in one town, 
60 horsemen escorted Luther

613
00:29:52,450 --> 00:29:55,950
to a church so packed with 
people eager to hear him preach

614
00:29:55,950 --> 00:29:59,317
that the balcony groaned 
and nearly collapsed.

615
00:29:59,317 --> 00:30:01,450
Imagine the showdown at Worms --

616
00:30:01,450 --> 00:30:05,517
papal representatives, princes, 
Imperial troops,

617
00:30:05,517 --> 00:30:06,617
all power-dressing.

618
00:30:06,617 --> 00:30:09,617
The emperor himself, 
sitting high on his throne.

619
00:30:09,617 --> 00:30:12,117
The crowds craning 
to see the action.

620
00:30:12,117 --> 00:30:15,683
In the center of the room, 
Martin Luther stood alone

621
00:30:15,683 --> 00:30:16,417
beside a table

622
00:30:16,417 --> 00:30:19,450
stacked with his rabble-rousing 
books and pamphlets.

623
00:30:19,450 --> 00:30:23,150
The prosecutor insisted 
Luther was a heretic.

624
00:30:23,150 --> 00:30:24,350
Summing up his case, he asked

625
00:30:24,350 --> 00:30:28,617
"Who are you to go against 
1,500 years of Church doctrine?"

626
00:30:28,617 --> 00:30:31,983
He demanded that Luther 
renounce his writings.

627
00:30:31,983 --> 00:30:33,817
Luther would not budge.

628
00:30:33,817 --> 00:30:36,617
Perhaps as never before 
in European history,

629
00:30:36,617 --> 00:30:41,250
one ordinary person stood up to 
authority for what he believed.

630
00:30:41,250 --> 00:30:44,017
He said, 
"Unless you can convince me

631
00:30:44,017 --> 00:30:46,950
by scripture 
or by clear reasoning,

632
00:30:46,950 --> 00:30:49,450
I am bound by my beliefs.

633
00:30:49,450 --> 00:30:52,617
I cannot and I will not recant.

634
00:30:52,617 --> 00:30:56,583
May God help me. Amen."

635
00:30:57,617 --> 00:30:59,617
Luther was declared a heretic

636
00:30:59,617 --> 00:31:02,050
and left Worms 
essentially an outlaw.

637
00:31:02,050 --> 00:31:04,250
Now outside the protection 
of the law,

638
00:31:04,250 --> 00:31:07,517
Luther could be captured 
and killed by anyone.

639
00:31:07,517 --> 00:31:08,650
On his way home to Wittenberg,

640
00:31:08,650 --> 00:31:10,950
he was kidnapped 
and dropped out of sight.

641
00:31:10,950 --> 00:31:13,150
Many thought 
Luther had been killed.

642
00:31:13,150 --> 00:31:15,783
In fact, 
Luther had been kidnapped

643
00:31:15,783 --> 00:31:17,850
but by friends 
for his own safety.

644
00:31:17,850 --> 00:31:20,617
He was given refuge 
in the Wartburg Castle

645
00:31:20,617 --> 00:31:24,617
by his benefactor, 
Prince Frederick the Wise.

646
00:31:24,617 --> 00:31:25,617
Luther grew a beard

647
00:31:25,617 --> 00:31:29,950
and passed himself off as 
a simple knight, Junker George.

648
00:31:29,950 --> 00:31:31,883
He spent the next year 
in hiding,

649
00:31:31,883 --> 00:31:37,283
waiting, planning, and wondering 
what would come next.

650
00:31:37,283 --> 00:31:40,617
This was Luther's room.

651
00:31:40,617 --> 00:31:43,617
Restless and lonely 
in the castle,

652
00:31:43,617 --> 00:31:45,450
he fell into depression.

653
00:31:45,450 --> 00:31:47,283
Throughout his life, 
he had struggled with

654
00:31:47,283 --> 00:31:51,050
what he saw as his personal war 
with Satan.

655
00:31:51,050 --> 00:31:51,983
Luther would say,

656
00:31:51,983 --> 00:31:54,250
"Whenever the devil 
harasses you,

657
00:31:54,250 --> 00:31:56,017
seek out the company of friends,

658
00:31:56,017 --> 00:31:58,850
drink more, joke, 
and make merry."

659
00:31:58,850 --> 00:32:02,617
Alone at Wartburg, 
he fought his depression

660
00:32:02,617 --> 00:32:04,017
by studying and writing.

661
00:32:04,017 --> 00:32:08,017
And it was here that he employed 
his favorite weapon --

662
00:32:08,017 --> 00:32:10,850
the printed word.

663
00:32:11,850 --> 00:32:15,683
Believing that everyone should 
be able to read the word of God,

664
00:32:15,683 --> 00:32:18,850
Luther began the daunting 
and dangerous task

665
00:32:18,850 --> 00:32:20,417
of translating the New Testament

666
00:32:20,417 --> 00:32:23,250
from the original ancient Greek 
into German.

667
00:32:23,250 --> 00:32:26,317
He used simplified language, 
as he said,

668
00:32:26,317 --> 00:32:28,283
like a mother 
talking to her children.

669
00:32:28,283 --> 00:32:31,850
Just as the King James version 
of the Bible did for English,

670
00:32:31,850 --> 00:32:33,850
Luther's translation 
helped to establish

671
00:32:33,850 --> 00:32:37,450
a standard German language 
that's used to this day.

672
00:32:37,450 --> 00:32:40,483
Luther's translation 
brought the Bible to the masses.

673
00:32:40,483 --> 00:32:44,583
The printing press made it more 
readily available and affordable

674
00:32:44,583 --> 00:32:45,517
to the public.

675
00:32:45,517 --> 00:32:48,317
And German literacy rates 
skyrocketed.

676
00:32:48,317 --> 00:32:50,850
As Germans read the Bible 
for the first time,

677
00:32:50,850 --> 00:32:55,583
they found, as Luther had, 
no mention of indulgences,

678
00:32:55,583 --> 00:32:57,483
purgatory, or even a pope.

679
00:32:57,483 --> 00:33:00,650
This further fanned the fires 
of reform.

680
00:33:00,650 --> 00:33:02,250
Luther was becoming the hero

681
00:33:02,250 --> 00:33:05,317
and figurehead 
of a growing revolution.

682
00:33:05,317 --> 00:33:07,650
The epic showdown 
at the Diet of Worms

683
00:33:07,650 --> 00:33:09,617
inspired others to action.

684
00:33:09,617 --> 00:33:11,117
Before long, across the land,

685
00:33:11,117 --> 00:33:13,950
monks and nuns 
left their monasteries,

686
00:33:13,950 --> 00:33:14,617
priests got married,

687
00:33:14,617 --> 00:33:18,017
and peasants were actually 
challenging the feudal system.

688
00:33:18,017 --> 00:33:20,850
Things went beyond 
Luther's intentions

689
00:33:20,850 --> 00:33:22,417
of reforming the Church.

690
00:33:22,417 --> 00:33:23,683
The Reformation was unleashing

691
00:33:23,683 --> 00:33:26,783
a grassroots social 
and political rebellion,

692
00:33:26,783 --> 00:33:29,183
and it spread like fire.

693
00:33:29,317 --> 00:33:32,150
The changes 
spilled beyond religion.

694
00:33:32,150 --> 00:33:34,050
In 1524, Germany's peasants,

695
00:33:34,050 --> 00:33:37,817
emboldened by Luther's brave 
challenge to the status quo,

696
00:33:37,817 --> 00:33:40,617
rose up, 
attacking their feudal masters

697
00:33:40,617 --> 00:33:42,317
with hoes and pitchforks.

698
00:33:42,317 --> 00:33:46,017
They misinterpreted Luther's 
calls for freedom of religion

699
00:33:46,017 --> 00:33:50,483
to mean freedom from 
their feudal lords, as well.

700
00:33:50,483 --> 00:33:51,817
Luther, who was only concerned

701
00:33:51,817 --> 00:33:53,950
with issues of faith 
and the Church,

702
00:33:53,950 --> 00:33:57,317
was horrified that his ideas 
could be misused

703
00:33:57,317 --> 00:33:59,617
to spark such a social revolt.

704
00:33:59,617 --> 00:34:02,683
He actually condoned 
the nobles' brutal crackdown

705
00:34:02,683 --> 00:34:05,683
as they killed thousands 
of peasants to restore order.

706
00:34:05,683 --> 00:34:10,317
But it was clear, the wheels of 
revolution he'd set in motion

707
00:34:10,317 --> 00:34:12,983
could not be stopped.

708
00:34:13,617 --> 00:34:16,583
Martin Luther's reforms 
unleashed turmoil

709
00:34:16,583 --> 00:34:17,817
far beyond his intent.

710
00:34:17,817 --> 00:34:20,950
Eventually Luther 
left his Wartburg castle refuge

711
00:34:20,950 --> 00:34:23,150
and returned home, 
here to Wittenberg.

712
00:34:23,150 --> 00:34:26,050
He surrounded himself 
with a theological think tank

713
00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:28,283
and worked to rein in 
the extremism

714
00:34:28,283 --> 00:34:29,883
now rampaging through the land

715
00:34:29,883 --> 00:34:32,283
and to give direction 
to the Reformation

716
00:34:32,283 --> 00:34:34,817
and to what was becoming 
the "Lutheran" Church.

717
00:34:34,817 --> 00:34:38,683
The Reformation movement 
spread far beyond Germany

718
00:34:38,683 --> 00:34:40,250
in the early 1500s.

719
00:34:40,250 --> 00:34:42,250
Luther, while pivotal, 
was only one

720
00:34:42,250 --> 00:34:46,617
of many Christian leaders 
struggling to reform the Church.

721
00:34:46,617 --> 00:34:47,183
In Switzerland,

722
00:34:47,183 --> 00:34:50,117
a land with deep roots 
in democracy and free thinking,

723
00:34:50,117 --> 00:34:54,450
Ulrich Zwingli also challenged 
the authority of Rome.

724
00:34:54,450 --> 00:34:57,517
From his pulpit in Zurich, he 
railed against Church corruption

725
00:34:57,517 --> 00:35:01,350
and any practices that 
weren't specifically 
mentioned in the Bible.

726
00:35:01,350 --> 00:35:05,683
His mission -- to place a Bible, 
written in everyday German,

727
00:35:05,683 --> 00:35:07,850
into the hands of every person.

728
00:35:07,850 --> 00:35:12,183
Zwingli's ideas reached each 
of Switzerland's remote cantons,

729
00:35:12,183 --> 00:35:14,717
and his theology gave 
the famously independent

730
00:35:14,717 --> 00:35:18,583
and yet to be united Swiss 
something in common.

731
00:35:18,583 --> 00:35:21,517
In nearby Geneva, 
in this church,

732
00:35:21,517 --> 00:35:25,617
a Frenchman named John Calvin 
also preached reform.

733
00:35:25,617 --> 00:35:27,883
Like Luther, 
Calvin was convinced

734
00:35:27,883 --> 00:35:30,617
that salvation 
was by God's grace.

735
00:35:30,617 --> 00:35:32,950
But Calvin emphasized 
predestination,

736
00:35:32,950 --> 00:35:36,683
the notion that God had already 
decided who was saved.

737
00:35:36,683 --> 00:35:39,883
Calvinism, which evolved 
into Presbyterianism,

738
00:35:39,883 --> 00:35:43,683
spread to France, 
the Netherlands, and beyond.

739
00:35:43,683 --> 00:35:47,517
Protestant ideas spread quickly 
through Scandinavia,

740
00:35:47,517 --> 00:35:49,183
thanks to its rulers.

741
00:35:49,183 --> 00:35:50,617
King Christian III of Denmark

742
00:35:50,617 --> 00:35:53,050
had actually been present 
at the Diet of Worms

743
00:35:53,050 --> 00:35:55,950
and was inspired by 
Luther's brave stand.

744
00:35:55,950 --> 00:35:59,950
He returned home to Copenhagen 
to establish Lutheranism

745
00:35:59,950 --> 00:36:02,983
as Denmark's state religion.

746
00:36:02,983 --> 00:36:05,017
The Swedish king, Gustav Vasa,

747
00:36:05,017 --> 00:36:07,850
took a shrewd 
political approach.

748
00:36:07,850 --> 00:36:08,617
He used the Reformation

749
00:36:08,617 --> 00:36:11,617
to make a clean break 
with Roman Catholic rule,

750
00:36:11,617 --> 00:36:13,017
nationalize Church holdings,

751
00:36:13,017 --> 00:36:14,850
and consolidate power 
for himself,

752
00:36:14,850 --> 00:36:19,050
thus becoming the father 
of the modern state of Sweden.

753
00:36:19,050 --> 00:36:23,583
In England, King Henry VIII 
also broke with the pope in Rome

754
00:36:23,583 --> 00:36:26,783
but for selfish 
as well as political reasons.

755
00:36:26,783 --> 00:36:29,183
He created 
the Church of England,

756
00:36:29,183 --> 00:36:30,617
with himself at its head.

757
00:36:30,617 --> 00:36:33,850
He dissolved the monastic 
orders, destroyed their abbeys,

758
00:36:33,850 --> 00:36:38,317
and appropriated the Catholic 
Church's vast land holdings.

759
00:36:38,317 --> 00:36:40,183
When Catholics rose up 
against him,

760
00:36:40,183 --> 00:36:44,117
Henry had the ringleaders 
hung, drawn, and quartered.

761
00:36:44,117 --> 00:36:45,617
And his actions left Henry

762
00:36:45,617 --> 00:36:48,050
not only much richer 
and more powerful

763
00:36:48,050 --> 00:36:50,617
but free 
to divorce his barren wife

764
00:36:50,617 --> 00:36:52,850
and marry 
his fertile young mistress.

765
00:36:52,850 --> 00:36:56,717
In Scotland, John Knox preached 
at the main church in Edinburgh,

766
00:36:56,717 --> 00:36:59,683
where he founded a separate 
protestant denomination,

767
00:36:59,683 --> 00:37:01,883
austere 
Scottish Presbyterianism.

768
00:37:01,883 --> 00:37:05,650
Knox insisted that every person 
be able to read the word of God

769
00:37:05,650 --> 00:37:06,417
for themselves,

770
00:37:06,417 --> 00:37:09,950
which resulted in Scotland 
developing an education system

771
00:37:09,950 --> 00:37:11,883
centuries ahead of its time.

772
00:37:11,883 --> 00:37:16,017
Not all reformers 
broke from the Church.

773
00:37:16,017 --> 00:37:19,650
The priest and philosopher 
Erasmus of Rotterdam

774
00:37:19,650 --> 00:37:21,017
admired Luther's ideas

775
00:37:21,017 --> 00:37:24,350
on the importance of faith 
over good deeds.

776
00:37:24,350 --> 00:37:27,783
Like Luther, 
he openly questioned the Church.

777
00:37:27,783 --> 00:37:30,950
But he proposed sweeping reforms 
from within.

778
00:37:30,950 --> 00:37:36,950
Erasmus remained a priest and 
never left the Catholic Church.

779
00:37:37,617 --> 00:37:41,050
A Spanish soldier 
named Ignatius of Loyola

780
00:37:41,050 --> 00:37:42,617
had a spiritual conversion

781
00:37:42,617 --> 00:37:46,350
and spent a decade wandering 
Europe on a pilgrimage.

782
00:37:46,350 --> 00:37:48,617
He eventually formed 
the Jesuits,

783
00:37:48,617 --> 00:37:49,650
a religious order whose mission

784
00:37:49,650 --> 00:37:53,450
was to be the intellectual 
warriors of the Church,

785
00:37:53,450 --> 00:37:56,250
battling both corruption 
within the Church

786
00:37:56,250 --> 00:37:59,317
and heresy outside the Church.

787
00:37:59,317 --> 00:38:00,883
During the early 1500s,

788
00:38:00,883 --> 00:38:03,850
new ideas were cross-pollinating 
throughout Europe.

789
00:38:03,850 --> 00:38:06,417
Protestant reformers, 
Catholic reformers,

790
00:38:06,417 --> 00:38:10,717
humanists, and scientists were 
all reading each other's words.

791
00:38:10,717 --> 00:38:13,650
It was an exciting 
and confusing time.

792
00:38:13,650 --> 00:38:15,617
Two powerful 
cultural movements --

793
00:38:15,617 --> 00:38:17,617
the Reformation 
and the Renaissance --

794
00:38:17,617 --> 00:38:20,417
were rushing together 
in a swirl of currents

795
00:38:20,417 --> 00:38:21,417
as history flowed on.

796
00:38:21,417 --> 00:38:26,983
All across Europe, the momentum 
seemed in favor of reformers.

797
00:38:26,983 --> 00:38:28,617
But the spread 
of the Reformation

798
00:38:28,617 --> 00:38:31,617
didn't happen 
without chaos and conflict.

799
00:38:31,617 --> 00:38:36,183
In many areas, 
there were violent uprisings.

800
00:38:39,017 --> 00:38:40,417
From Holland to Switzerland,

801
00:38:40,417 --> 00:38:43,317
Protestant extremists 
vandalized Catholic churches.

802
00:38:43,317 --> 00:38:46,617
They attacked what 
they considered symbols 
of idol worship,

803
00:38:46,617 --> 00:38:49,350
forbidden by their 
interpretation of the Bible.

804
00:38:49,350 --> 00:38:52,283
These iconoclasts, 
as they were called,

805
00:38:52,283 --> 00:38:53,883
shattered stained-glass windows.

806
00:38:53,883 --> 00:38:55,817
They lopped off the stone heads 
of saints

807
00:38:55,817 --> 00:38:58,850
and stripped gold-leaf angels 
from the walls.

808
00:38:58,850 --> 00:39:03,050
When Catholic cathedrals 
became Protestant churches,

809
00:39:03,050 --> 00:39:04,683
interiors were made simple,

810
00:39:04,683 --> 00:39:07,883
with dazzling images 
replaced by plain walls,

811
00:39:07,883 --> 00:39:10,650
pipe organs, and pulpits.

812
00:39:10,650 --> 00:39:12,283
[ Organ plays ]

813
00:39:12,283 --> 00:39:15,350
For example, the biggest church 
in Switzerland,

814
00:39:15,350 --> 00:39:16,450
the Lausanne Cathedral,

815
00:39:16,450 --> 00:39:18,983
was originally Catholic 
and dedicated to Mary.

816
00:39:18,983 --> 00:39:22,983
But when the Reformation hit, 
Swiss reformers purged it,

817
00:39:22,983 --> 00:39:25,783
whitewashing 
colorfully frescoed walls,

818
00:39:25,783 --> 00:39:27,617
trashing stained-glass windows,

819
00:39:27,617 --> 00:39:30,717
and smashing statues 
of Mary and the saints.

820
00:39:30,717 --> 00:39:33,617
Today, the church remains clean 
of images

821
00:39:33,617 --> 00:39:37,250
and dominated 
by its extravagant pipe organ.

822
00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:41,517
[ Organ plays ]

823
00:39:41,517 --> 00:39:43,350
Another example 
is the once Catholic,

824
00:39:43,350 --> 00:39:47,150
now Protestant main church 
of Haarlem in Holland.

825
00:39:47,617 --> 00:39:50,617
While now whitewashed 
in the Protestant fashion,

826
00:39:50,617 --> 00:39:54,150
the pillars reveal 
the decorative original frescoes

827
00:39:54,150 --> 00:39:55,450
that were covered up.

828
00:39:55,450 --> 00:39:59,017
The many gilded chapels 
dedicated to various saints

829
00:39:59,017 --> 00:40:00,617
were removed.

830
00:40:00,617 --> 00:40:03,617
The towering pipe organ 
is a reminder that,

831
00:40:03,617 --> 00:40:04,250
for Protestants,

832
00:40:04,250 --> 00:40:08,250
music became more important 
than the visual arts.

833
00:40:08,250 --> 00:40:12,150
[ Organ plays ]

834
00:40:12,150 --> 00:40:14,783
And pulpits 
became a prominent feature

835
00:40:14,783 --> 00:40:15,817
because of 
the Protestant emphasis

836
00:40:15,817 --> 00:40:22,317
of bringing the word of God 
directly to the people 
in their own language.

837
00:40:22,817 --> 00:40:25,617
In territories 
where Protestants dominated,

838
00:40:25,617 --> 00:40:28,050
Catholics survived 
but went underground,

839
00:40:28,050 --> 00:40:31,583
forced to practice their faith 
in hidden churches.

840
00:40:31,583 --> 00:40:34,817
In generally Protestant 
Amsterdam, for example,

841
00:40:34,817 --> 00:40:37,883
this Catholic church 
kept a low profile,

842
00:40:37,883 --> 00:40:40,717
disguised as a townhouse.

843
00:40:40,717 --> 00:40:45,350
Persecution of Catholics, along 
with the rise of Protestantism,

844
00:40:45,350 --> 00:40:49,050
was turning Catholics into 
a minority in Northern Europe.

845
00:40:49,050 --> 00:40:51,617
By the mid 1500s, 
the Roman Church

846
00:40:51,617 --> 00:40:56,283
employed a strategy for stemming 
the tide of reformation.

847
00:40:56,417 --> 00:40:59,417
The Vatican fought back 
with the Counter-Reformation,

848
00:40:59,417 --> 00:41:03,417
an attempt to put what was 
the universal Catholic Church

849
00:41:03,417 --> 00:41:04,450
back together.

850
00:41:04,450 --> 00:41:05,650
On one hand, the Church worked

851
00:41:05,650 --> 00:41:07,617
to reform 
its internal corruption

852
00:41:07,617 --> 00:41:09,283
and reach out 
to alienated members.

853
00:41:09,283 --> 00:41:12,617
And on the other hand, the 
Church resorted to propaganda,

854
00:41:12,617 --> 00:41:15,617
intimidation, 
and outright force.

855
00:41:15,617 --> 00:41:17,617
Art became a propaganda tool.

856
00:41:17,617 --> 00:41:20,850
Extravagant Counter-Reformation 
art and architecture

857
00:41:20,850 --> 00:41:24,017
was designed 
to inspire the masses.

858
00:41:24,017 --> 00:41:25,150
Catholic churches dazzled

859
00:41:25,150 --> 00:41:28,250
with gold leaf 
and ornate decorations,

860
00:41:28,250 --> 00:41:29,583
offering a glimpse of the heaven

861
00:41:29,583 --> 00:41:33,150
that awaited those 
who remained faithful.

862
00:41:33,150 --> 00:41:35,017
Counter-Reformation artists

863
00:41:35,017 --> 00:41:37,617
painted radiant, 
soft-focus Marys,

864
00:41:37,617 --> 00:41:39,517
sentimentally 
wrapping everything

865
00:41:39,517 --> 00:41:41,617
in warm colors and gentle light.

866
00:41:41,617 --> 00:41:47,283
This bubbly Baroque style of art 
featured large canvases...

867
00:41:47,283 --> 00:41:51,417
bright colors...

868
00:41:51,417 --> 00:41:55,150
rippling motion...

869
00:41:55,150 --> 00:41:57,617
wild emotions...

870
00:41:57,617 --> 00:41:59,450
grand themes...

871
00:41:59,450 --> 00:42:01,650
and holy saints.

872
00:42:01,650 --> 00:42:02,617
It appealed to the senses

873
00:42:02,617 --> 00:42:05,983
and was popular with both 
peasants and nobles alike.

874
00:42:05,983 --> 00:42:11,450
It made heavenly visions real 
and stirred the emotions.

875
00:42:11,450 --> 00:42:13,617
This Baroque style 
remained popular

876
00:42:13,617 --> 00:42:18,017
in Catholic parts of Europe 
for generations.

877
00:42:19,017 --> 00:42:20,617
The Church's propaganda art

878
00:42:20,617 --> 00:42:23,450
could intimidate 
as well as inspire.

879
00:42:23,450 --> 00:42:26,850
Worshippers saw images 
of God-fearing Catholics

880
00:42:26,850 --> 00:42:29,517
burning Protestant pamphlets,

881
00:42:29,517 --> 00:42:30,883
of defenders of the Church

882
00:42:30,883 --> 00:42:33,950
stepping on snakes 
representing heretics,

883
00:42:33,950 --> 00:42:39,117
and angry angel babies tearing 
out pages of Lutheran teaching.

884
00:42:39,117 --> 00:42:42,417
And the Counter-Reformation 
relied on an institution

885
00:42:42,417 --> 00:42:45,950
dating back to earlier times -- 
the Inquisition.

886
00:42:45,950 --> 00:42:51,350
It emanated from Spain at the 
imposing Palace of El Escorial.

887
00:42:51,350 --> 00:42:54,583
This full-scale, 
Church-run legal system

888
00:42:54,583 --> 00:42:57,983
brought Protestants, Jews, 
and nonconforming Catholics

889
00:42:57,983 --> 00:43:01,983
before its courts on the 
slightest evidence of heresy.

890
00:43:01,983 --> 00:43:04,583
Those convicted 
would be punished,

891
00:43:04,583 --> 00:43:09,317
tortured, 
and, in many cases, executed.

892
00:43:11,950 --> 00:43:13,617
The Protestants responded with

893
00:43:13,617 --> 00:43:16,717
anti-Catholic propaganda 
of their own.

894
00:43:16,717 --> 00:43:17,450
In this painting,

895
00:43:17,450 --> 00:43:20,150
hanging in Luther's 
hometown church in Wittenberg,

896
00:43:20,150 --> 00:43:23,617
the reformers tend to 
"The Garden of the Lord."

897
00:43:23,617 --> 00:43:26,617
Luther rakes, and his 
intellectual side-kick,

898
00:43:26,617 --> 00:43:28,517
Melanchthon, 
pulls water from the well,

899
00:43:28,517 --> 00:43:32,650
symbolizing how the reformers 
went back to the original source

900
00:43:32,650 --> 00:43:34,417
to translate the Bible.

901
00:43:34,417 --> 00:43:36,517
Meanwhile, 
the pope and his people

902
00:43:36,517 --> 00:43:39,483
trash all their careful 
spiritual gardening.

903
00:43:39,483 --> 00:43:42,017
Even though Jesus 
has given the pope a reward,

904
00:43:42,017 --> 00:43:45,883
the pope keeps his hand 
outstretched, asking for more.

905
00:43:45,883 --> 00:43:51,650
Looking on, 
the reformers pray reverently.

906
00:43:52,617 --> 00:43:55,517
Other art was shockingly direct.

907
00:43:55,517 --> 00:43:55,950
In this etching,

908
00:43:55,950 --> 00:44:02,183
Protestants portray the pope 
as Satan himself.

909
00:44:02,183 --> 00:44:05,117
The whole era was intolerant 
to the extreme.

910
00:44:05,117 --> 00:44:07,583
Everyone was convinced 
their vision of God

911
00:44:07,583 --> 00:44:08,517
was the one and only way.

912
00:44:08,517 --> 00:44:12,050
And Luther was as conflicted 
and intolerant as his age.

913
00:44:12,050 --> 00:44:14,050
He came down hard 
on the Roman Church,

914
00:44:14,050 --> 00:44:19,450
on Protestants who disagreed, 
and particularly hard on Jews.

915
00:44:20,517 --> 00:44:22,617
Luther was intolerant of Jews.

916
00:44:22,617 --> 00:44:24,850
He was angered that 
they wouldn't convert,

917
00:44:24,850 --> 00:44:26,617
which drove him, 
in his later years,

918
00:44:26,617 --> 00:44:30,683
to write 
hateful anti-Jewish essays.

919
00:44:31,050 --> 00:44:35,417
This prejudice was consistent 
with his general intolerance,

920
00:44:35,417 --> 00:44:38,883
as when he supported the killing 
of so many rampaging peasants

921
00:44:38,883 --> 00:44:41,617
who were threatening 
the social order.

922
00:44:41,617 --> 00:44:43,617
And it was only a matter of time

923
00:44:43,617 --> 00:44:45,983
before this kind of bitter war 
of ideas

924
00:44:45,983 --> 00:44:49,617
would flare up into actual war.

925
00:44:51,583 --> 00:44:54,250
The Reformation 
and Counter-Reformation

926
00:44:54,250 --> 00:44:55,950
unleashed pent-up frustrations

927
00:44:55,950 --> 00:44:58,183
that transformed Europe 
into a battlefield

928
00:44:58,183 --> 00:44:59,617
for the next 100 years.

929
00:44:59,617 --> 00:45:01,783
The wars may have been called 
religious wars,

930
00:45:01,783 --> 00:45:05,317
but for the princes who ruled 
the many little German states,

931
00:45:05,317 --> 00:45:08,617
breaking with Rome, 
as with most religious wars,

932
00:45:08,617 --> 00:45:11,617
was also about power, 
money, and land.

933
00:45:11,617 --> 00:45:14,950
Many German princes, 
like Luther's supporter

934
00:45:14,950 --> 00:45:16,683
Frederick the Wise 
at Wittenberg,

935
00:45:16,683 --> 00:45:20,317
saw the Roman church 
as an obstacle to greater power.

936
00:45:20,317 --> 00:45:25,683
And at great peril, many opted 
to split from the Roman Church

937
00:45:25,683 --> 00:45:30,483
to support Luther, 
even if that meant war.

938
00:45:33,617 --> 00:45:34,717
For a German prince,

939
00:45:34,717 --> 00:45:37,817
there were three big reasons 
to break from Rome --

940
00:45:37,817 --> 00:45:39,617
First, by opposing the pope,

941
00:45:39,617 --> 00:45:42,517
princes could rule 
without meddling bishops,

942
00:45:42,517 --> 00:45:44,183
who were above secular laws.

943
00:45:44,183 --> 00:45:46,617
Second, 
princes could hold onto tithes

944
00:45:46,617 --> 00:45:49,517
formerly sent to Rome and a huge 
drain on their economies.

945
00:45:49,517 --> 00:45:53,483
And third, the biggest landowner 
in their realm was the Church,

946
00:45:53,483 --> 00:45:55,683
and by joining forces 
with the Protestants,

947
00:45:55,683 --> 00:45:58,417
princes could confiscate 
Church lands.

948
00:45:58,417 --> 00:46:01,783
The strife Martin Luther 
had unwittingly unleashed

949
00:46:01,783 --> 00:46:03,617
led to a chaotic series of wars

950
00:46:03,617 --> 00:46:06,250
that would last 
more than a century.

951
00:46:06,250 --> 00:46:08,317
Throughout the 1500s,

952
00:46:08,317 --> 00:46:11,617
Europe's princes and kings 
jockeyed for power,

953
00:46:11,617 --> 00:46:14,417
using religion as their excuse.

954
00:46:14,417 --> 00:46:16,617
It culminated 
in a bloody free-for-all

955
00:46:16,617 --> 00:46:23,583
called the Thirty Years' War 
that raged from 1618 to 1648.

956
00:46:23,883 --> 00:46:26,283
While the war 
involved many countries,

957
00:46:26,283 --> 00:46:29,183
it was fought 
mainly on German soil.

958
00:46:29,183 --> 00:46:31,617
Much of the battle gear, 
ramparts,

959
00:46:31,617 --> 00:46:35,683
and folkloric reenactments 
tourists see today in Germany

960
00:46:35,683 --> 00:46:38,617
dates from this war.

961
00:46:39,517 --> 00:46:41,050
Casualties were devastating,

962
00:46:41,050 --> 00:46:44,150
as a third of all Germans 
were killed.

963
00:46:44,150 --> 00:46:45,250
On the Catholic side,

964
00:46:45,250 --> 00:46:49,017
the pope was supported by 
the powerful holy Roman emperor.

965
00:46:49,017 --> 00:46:50,950
The emperor 
had Europe's leading army

966
00:46:50,950 --> 00:46:53,617
and was more than willing 
to march into Germany

967
00:46:53,617 --> 00:46:55,117
and put down Protestants.

968
00:46:55,117 --> 00:46:59,483
As these wars, with a mix of 
political and religious agendas,

969
00:46:59,483 --> 00:47:01,117
raged across Europe,

970
00:47:01,117 --> 00:47:02,583
princes grabbed for power

971
00:47:02,583 --> 00:47:04,617
while the people 
violently sorted out

972
00:47:04,617 --> 00:47:08,717
their deep-seated 
religious frustrations.

973
00:47:08,717 --> 00:47:11,283
After literally 
millions of deaths,

974
00:47:11,283 --> 00:47:13,717
the devastation 
of entire regions,

975
00:47:13,717 --> 00:47:15,950
and wide-spread economic ruin,

976
00:47:15,950 --> 00:47:19,117
all involved were exhausted.

977
00:47:19,117 --> 00:47:22,050
In 1648, 
a treaty was finally signed.

978
00:47:22,050 --> 00:47:24,183
The result -- 
not religious freedom.

979
00:47:24,183 --> 00:47:25,883
But now the leaders 
of each country

980
00:47:25,883 --> 00:47:28,050
were free to decide 
if their subjects would be

981
00:47:28,050 --> 00:47:31,517
Roman Catholic Christian 
or Protestant Christian.

982
00:47:31,517 --> 00:47:33,617
Western Europe 
was effectively divided

983
00:47:33,617 --> 00:47:36,617
between a Catholic south 
and a Protestant north,

984
00:47:36,617 --> 00:47:39,717
a line that roughly survives 
to this day.

985
00:47:39,717 --> 00:47:41,817
Europe had split into two camps.

986
00:47:41,817 --> 00:47:44,117
On one side was 
the Roman Catholic Church,

987
00:47:44,117 --> 00:47:46,983
those Christians 
who still recognized the pope.

988
00:47:46,983 --> 00:47:49,117
On the other side 
were the Protestants,

989
00:47:49,117 --> 00:47:50,517
or protesting Christians.

990
00:47:50,517 --> 00:47:53,617
Of course, both Catholics 
and Protestants are Christians.

991
00:47:53,617 --> 00:47:56,817
But they have different styles 
and take different approaches.

992
00:47:56,817 --> 00:48:00,350
For Catholics, church rituals 
and an ordained clergy

993
00:48:00,350 --> 00:48:04,617
are essential intermediaries 
between a worshipper and God.

994
00:48:04,617 --> 00:48:09,483
They venerate saints 
and the Virgin Mary

995
00:48:09,483 --> 00:48:12,617
and confess their sins 
to a priest.

996
00:48:12,617 --> 00:48:13,683
Catholics accept precedents

997
00:48:13,683 --> 00:48:16,350
established through 
the centuries by the Church

998
00:48:16,350 --> 00:48:20,250
and follow the spiritual 
leadership of the pope in Rome.

999
00:48:20,250 --> 00:48:22,617
And they maintain 
a time-honored element

1000
00:48:22,617 --> 00:48:25,150
of elaborate ritual 
and mysticism

1001
00:48:25,150 --> 00:48:27,950
that enriches 
their religious experience.

1002
00:48:27,950 --> 00:48:31,983
For Protestants, 
worship style became different.

1003
00:48:31,983 --> 00:48:36,483
They purged their churches 
of holy relics,

1004
00:48:36,483 --> 00:48:38,617
dispensed 
with many of the rituals,

1005
00:48:38,617 --> 00:48:42,617
and reduced the formal role 
of ordained clergy.

1006
00:48:42,617 --> 00:48:45,183
Rather than appealing to saints 
and Mary,

1007
00:48:45,183 --> 00:48:48,950
Protestants emphasize their 
direct relationship with God

1008
00:48:48,950 --> 00:48:52,983
through Bible study 
and personal prayer.

1009
00:48:54,617 --> 00:48:55,450
Luther rejected

1010
00:48:55,450 --> 00:48:58,283
five of the Catholic Church's 
seven sacraments.

1011
00:48:58,283 --> 00:49:01,683
He kept only holy communion 
and baptism.

1012
00:49:01,683 --> 00:49:05,617
The Lutheran movement introduced 
two essential changes --

1013
00:49:05,617 --> 00:49:08,983
They believe, first, salvation 
is a gift from God.

1014
00:49:08,983 --> 00:49:11,617
It's a matter of faith. 
You can't earn it.

1015
00:49:11,617 --> 00:49:12,650
And second, the Bible

1016
00:49:12,650 --> 00:49:15,617
is the only source 
of religious authority.

1017
00:49:15,617 --> 00:49:18,717
After sparking 
such sweeping changes,

1018
00:49:18,717 --> 00:49:19,717
Luther, in his later years,

1019
00:49:19,717 --> 00:49:23,483
settled into a quiet life 
as a respected professor.

1020
00:49:23,483 --> 00:49:26,250
But his life 
was never without surprises.

1021
00:49:26,250 --> 00:49:29,617
One of the first things he did 
shocked everybody --

1022
00:49:29,617 --> 00:49:30,617
He got married!

1023
00:49:30,617 --> 00:49:33,483
42-year-old Martin Luther, 
a former monk,

1024
00:49:33,483 --> 00:49:36,450
married 26-year-old 
Katherine von Bora,

1025
00:49:36,450 --> 00:49:37,583
a former nun.

1026
00:49:37,583 --> 00:49:40,483
Martin and Katie went on 
to have six children

1027
00:49:40,483 --> 00:49:42,117
and raise four orphans.

1028
00:49:42,117 --> 00:49:44,783
Katie, who ran the huge and busy 
Luther household,

1029
00:49:44,783 --> 00:49:47,617
was a welcome partner 
in Luther's circle.

1030
00:49:47,617 --> 00:49:50,450
Luther wrote, 
"Marriage is a better school

1031
00:49:50,450 --> 00:49:52,483
for the character 
than any monastery,

1032
00:49:52,483 --> 00:49:56,583
for it's here that your sharp 
corners are rubbed off."

1033
00:49:56,583 --> 00:49:58,417
Luther used 
his dining room table

1034
00:49:58,417 --> 00:50:02,050
to host an ongoing social 
and intellectual jam session.

1035
00:50:02,050 --> 00:50:05,117
It was where his students, 
houseguests,

1036
00:50:05,117 --> 00:50:06,950
and fellow reformers gathered,

1037
00:50:06,950 --> 00:50:08,617
drinking Katie's homebrewed beer

1038
00:50:08,617 --> 00:50:12,850
and eating the Luthers 
almost out of house and home.

1039
00:50:12,850 --> 00:50:13,983
They'd spend long hours

1040
00:50:13,983 --> 00:50:16,350
discussing and debating 
religious issues

1041
00:50:16,350 --> 00:50:21,617
and applying their ideas 
concretely to everyday life.

1042
00:50:22,717 --> 00:50:25,850
Luther's followers 
hung on his every word.

1043
00:50:25,850 --> 00:50:26,950
His students took notes.

1044
00:50:26,950 --> 00:50:30,850
And this anthology, 
which was printed in 1567,

1045
00:50:30,850 --> 00:50:32,583
is called "Table Talk."

1046
00:50:32,583 --> 00:50:34,417
It collects over 6,000 entries,

1047
00:50:34,417 --> 00:50:38,183
from profound to vulgar 
and offensive to silly.

1048
00:50:38,183 --> 00:50:41,317
"He who does not love wine, 
women, and song

1049
00:50:41,317 --> 00:50:43,783
remains a fool 
his whole life long.

1050
00:50:43,783 --> 00:50:46,050
What lies they tell 
about relics.

1051
00:50:46,050 --> 00:50:49,950
How is it that 18 apostles 
are buried in Germany

1052
00:50:49,950 --> 00:50:51,883
when Christ had only 12?

1053
00:50:51,883 --> 00:50:54,350
God writes the gospel 
not in the Bible alone

1054
00:50:54,350 --> 00:50:58,617
but on the trees and flowers 
and clouds and stars."

1055
00:50:58,617 --> 00:51:00,850
Luther remained a complex man.

1056
00:51:00,850 --> 00:51:02,983
He continued to struggle 
with depression.

1057
00:51:02,983 --> 00:51:06,283
He could be crude, bombastic, 
and even bigoted,

1058
00:51:06,283 --> 00:51:07,883
riddled with contradictions.

1059
00:51:07,883 --> 00:51:10,617
And he certainly 
enjoyed his beer.

1060
00:51:10,617 --> 00:51:11,617
Although he did warn,

1061
00:51:11,617 --> 00:51:14,483
"It's better to think 
of church in the ale house

1062
00:51:14,483 --> 00:51:17,483
than to think of the ale house 
in church."

1063
00:51:17,483 --> 00:51:20,617
Luther's earthy lifestyle 
reflects some of the spirit

1064
00:51:20,617 --> 00:51:22,183
of what became 
the Lutheran Church,

1065
00:51:22,183 --> 00:51:25,017
ideas which, back then, 
were quite radical.

1066
00:51:25,017 --> 00:51:27,617
He affirmed dimensions 
of everyday life,

1067
00:51:27,617 --> 00:51:28,850
such as marriage 
and the joy of sex,

1068
00:51:28,850 --> 00:51:32,817
as good and important, provided 
they were carried out in faith.

1069
00:51:32,817 --> 00:51:34,617
And pastors were free to marry.

1070
00:51:34,617 --> 00:51:37,950
There was nothing in the Bible 
that said they couldn't.

1071
00:51:37,950 --> 00:51:41,950
Luther believed in what 
he called the priesthood 
of all believers.

1072
00:51:41,950 --> 00:51:44,983
Whether a schoolteacher, 
a farmer, or a gardener,

1073
00:51:44,983 --> 00:51:47,350
he believed 
all are equally capable

1074
00:51:47,350 --> 00:51:48,283
of understanding God's word

1075
00:51:48,283 --> 00:51:52,483
and can receive salvation 
without the help of 
intermediaries.

1076
00:51:52,483 --> 00:51:56,350
Because literacy was crucial 
to reading the Bible,

1077
00:51:56,350 --> 00:51:57,783
Luther lobbied Germany's nobles

1078
00:51:57,783 --> 00:52:00,617
to provide schools 
for all boys and girls.

1079
00:52:00,617 --> 00:52:05,017
And Luther loved music, which 
he figured the devil hated.

1080
00:52:05,017 --> 00:52:07,017
In perhaps 
his deepest depression,

1081
00:52:07,017 --> 00:52:10,617
Luther wrote one of 
Christendom's greatest hymns,

1082
00:52:10,617 --> 00:52:12,317
"A Mighty Fortress."

1083
00:52:12,317 --> 00:52:13,517
He composed many other hymns

1084
00:52:13,517 --> 00:52:17,483
that put the basic elements 
of Christian worship into song.

1085
00:52:17,483 --> 00:52:21,583
To this day, Protestant churches 
are particularly alive

1086
00:52:21,583 --> 00:52:24,117
with great organs 
and choral music.

1087
00:52:24,117 --> 00:52:27,617
Luther, who believed, 
"He who sings prays double",

1088
00:52:27,617 --> 00:52:28,617
would have enjoyed the singing

1089
00:52:28,617 --> 00:52:30,617
of the visiting 
Dresden Boys choir

1090
00:52:30,617 --> 00:52:35,617
as they performed in his 
hometown church in Wittenberg.

1091
00:52:36,617 --> 00:52:39,717
Luther died in 1546 at age 62.

1092
00:52:39,717 --> 00:52:42,717
A massive funeral procession 
accompanied his body

1093
00:52:42,717 --> 00:52:45,050
to the Castle Church 
in Wittenberg,

1094
00:52:45,050 --> 00:52:46,017
where he's buried.

1095
00:52:46,017 --> 00:52:49,617
To this day, 
pilgrims bring flowers.

1096
00:52:49,617 --> 00:52:52,250
[ Choir singing ]

1097
00:52:56,883 --> 00:53:00,617
After Luther's death, until 
the dawn of the 20th century,

1098
00:53:00,617 --> 00:53:02,283
the Reformation 
helped open the way

1099
00:53:02,283 --> 00:53:04,650
for fundamental changes 
in Western society.

1100
00:53:04,650 --> 00:53:08,317
With a less controlling role 
of the Church in everyday life,

1101
00:53:08,317 --> 00:53:10,717
secular forces 
were free to flourish.

1102
00:53:10,717 --> 00:53:15,617
Secular thinking, 
including science, would thrive.

1103
00:53:15,617 --> 00:53:17,250
Literacy increased across Europe

1104
00:53:17,250 --> 00:53:19,983
as people had the freedom 
to read the Bible.

1105
00:53:19,983 --> 00:53:23,350
Free-market capitalism thrived 
in northern Europe,

1106
00:53:23,350 --> 00:53:25,583
fueled by 
the Protestant work ethic.

1107
00:53:25,583 --> 00:53:29,150
Non-religious, secular arts 
were able to flourish.

1108
00:53:29,150 --> 00:53:31,683
And, eventually, 
a democratic spirit was kindled

1109
00:53:31,683 --> 00:53:34,783
as people were emboldened 
to stand up to power,

1110
00:53:34,783 --> 00:53:36,850
and there was 
a greater separation

1111
00:53:36,850 --> 00:53:38,783
between church and state.

1112
00:53:38,783 --> 00:53:41,617
For most of the 500 years 
since the Reformation,

1113
00:53:41,617 --> 00:53:45,617
relations between Catholics and 
Protestants have been troubled.

1114
00:53:45,617 --> 00:53:49,017
But there was one lesson 
Europe learned the hard way --

1115
00:53:49,017 --> 00:53:50,117
tolerance.

1116
00:53:50,117 --> 00:53:52,817
And in our lifetime, 
huge strides have been made.

1117
00:53:52,817 --> 00:53:56,617
More than ever, Protestants and 
Catholics are coming together

1118
00:53:56,617 --> 00:53:59,717
and see themselves merely 
as different expressions

1119
00:53:59,717 --> 00:54:01,450
of the same faith.

1120
00:54:01,450 --> 00:54:04,617
The Reformation was more than 
a religious event.

1121
00:54:04,617 --> 00:54:08,617
It was part of the societal 
weave we call progress.

1122
00:54:08,617 --> 00:54:10,650
And progress 
comes out of struggle --

1123
00:54:10,650 --> 00:54:14,850
religious freedom grew out of 
the Protestant Reformation,

1124
00:54:14,850 --> 00:54:18,617
political freedom came out of 
the French Revolution,

1125
00:54:18,617 --> 00:54:23,683
and personal freedom is the cry 
of the civil rights movement

1126
00:54:23,683 --> 00:54:25,283
in our age.

1127
00:54:25,283 --> 00:54:30,283
It's all hard-earned. 
It's not always pretty.

1128
00:54:30,283 --> 00:54:33,617
But it is worth the trouble.

1129
00:54:35,883 --> 00:54:38,617
Martin Luther was 
a pivotal character in history

1130
00:54:38,617 --> 00:54:40,883
who stood up 
for what he believed.

1131
00:54:40,883 --> 00:54:42,283
The Reformation he unleashed

1132
00:54:42,283 --> 00:54:44,717
helped create 
a more tolerant society

1133
00:54:44,717 --> 00:54:46,617
that eventually 
allowed diversity

1134
00:54:46,617 --> 00:54:49,717
in how people strive 
to better understand God.

1135
00:54:49,717 --> 00:54:53,450
I'm Rick Steves. 
Thanks for joining us.