WEBVTT 00:02.817 --> 00:05.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% In a castle in the heart of Germany 00:05.817 --> 00:06.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% in 1521, 00:06.950 --> 00:09.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% a monk on the run took refuge. 00:09.617 --> 00:14.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was in disguise and using an alias. 00:14.250 --> 00:14.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% A few days earlier, 00:14.950 --> 00:17.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% the holy Roman emperor had branded him an outlaw, 00:17.717 --> 00:22.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% and now he could be killed at will. 00:23.617 --> 00:27.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% For nearly a year, that monk hid out in this castle 00:27.017 --> 00:29.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% while shock waves from his supposed crimes 00:29.483 --> 00:31.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% reverberated throughout Europe. 00:31.517 --> 00:33.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% His name? Martin Luther. 00:33.017 --> 00:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% This is the story of Luther and the Reformation. 00:36.617 --> 00:37.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And it's more. 00:37.617 --> 00:39.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's the story of progress, 00:39.283 --> 00:42.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% from medieval darkness to Renaissance humanism, 00:42.617 --> 00:44.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and how it's with great struggle 00:44.283 --> 00:49.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% that societies earn freedom as they evolve. 01:20.583 --> 01:21.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Hi, I'm Rick Steves. 01:21.517 --> 01:25.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% 500 years ago, Martin Luther kicked off the Reformation. 01:25.617 --> 01:26.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% In the next hour, 01:26.050 --> 01:29.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% we'll trace the dramatic events of this grassroots movement 01:29.283 --> 01:31.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% that changed the course of history. 01:31.117 --> 01:33.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% With this upheaval, Christianity in Western Europe 01:33.783 --> 01:37.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% was split in two -- between Protestants and Catholics. 01:37.350 --> 01:39.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% This split happened to a medieval world 01:39.617 --> 01:44.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% permeated and stabilized by one all-encompassing religion. 01:44.683 --> 01:45.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% But that world was colliding 01:45.983 --> 01:48.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% with the new ideas of the Renaissance. 01:48.783 --> 01:51.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was rocked by fearless explorers 01:51.617 --> 01:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and adventurous thinkers. 01:53.617 --> 01:54.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And one of these great minds 01:54.617 --> 01:57.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% belonged to a humble German monk named Martin Luther, 01:57.950 --> 01:59.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% who could no longer stay silent 01:59.517 --> 02:02.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% about the wealth and corruption of his Church. 02:02.617 --> 02:05.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% His controversial teaching and preaching 02:05.017 --> 02:07.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% brought him into conflict with the pope 02:07.250 --> 02:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the holy Roman emperor, 02:08.617 --> 02:11.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% leading to a bold showdown watched by all of Europe. 02:11.950 --> 02:17.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% This courageous stand by one man sparked a century of conflict. 02:17.583 --> 02:19.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% It started as a war of words, 02:19.250 --> 02:21.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% but eventually spiraled into actual war, 02:21.717 --> 02:24.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% changing Europe and Christianity forever 02:24.517 --> 02:28.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and contributing to the birth of our modern world. 02:36.183 --> 02:36.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% The story of Martin Luther, 02:36.817 --> 02:40.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% the man who would become the most notorious, celebrated, 02:40.183 --> 02:42.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and provocative figure of his age 02:42.617 --> 02:43.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% begins here, 02:43.283 --> 02:46.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% in the bucolic German countryside south of Berlin. 02:46.683 --> 02:51.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% When Luther was born in this house in Eisleben in 1483, 02:51.950 --> 02:54.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% he entered a world that was still medieval. 02:54.617 --> 02:59.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% Most people lived in humble villages. 03:00.017 --> 03:02.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% They tilled the fields. 03:03.417 --> 03:06.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% They lived their entire lives in a single place, 03:06.783 --> 03:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% poor and illiterate. 03:08.617 --> 03:10.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% They bowed down to the local duke, 03:10.717 --> 03:13.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% who protected them from rampaging bandits. 03:13.717 --> 03:16.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And in every town, overseeing it all 03:16.617 --> 03:22.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% was the biggest and richest structure in town -- the church. 03:22.783 --> 03:24.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% Though most people were poor, 03:24.183 --> 03:27.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's father owned a copper mining business, 03:27.317 --> 03:30.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% and his son got the best education 03:30.050 --> 03:32.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% this remote land could offer. 03:32.183 --> 03:35.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's story was set here in rural Germany 03:35.883 --> 03:38.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% at the end of the Middle Ages. 03:38.183 --> 03:40.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% But to understand the Reformation, 03:40.450 --> 03:43.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% we need to go back 1,000 years to far-off Rome. 03:43.650 --> 03:47.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% When the ancient Roman Empire fell around the year 500, 03:47.817 --> 03:49.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% it created a power vacuum 03:49.017 --> 03:52.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% that left Europe in relative poverty and stagnation 03:52.183 --> 03:55.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% for 10 centuries -- the Middle Ages. 03:55.617 --> 03:57.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% During that difficult time, 03:57.150 --> 04:00.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Roman Catholic Church held Europe together. 04:00.317 --> 04:02.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% It provided more than religion. 04:02.583 --> 04:03.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% It provided stability. 04:03.717 --> 04:06.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was the one thing that united a fractured Europe, 04:06.850 --> 04:11.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% offering continuity and comfort in a troubled age. 04:11.283 --> 04:16.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Echoes of ancient Rome lived on in the Church. 04:16.617 --> 04:19.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Roman senators became bishops, 04:19.050 --> 04:23.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% the design of their law courts -- called "basilicas" -- 04:23.017 --> 04:24.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% became the design of their churches, 04:24.983 --> 04:28.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the Roman emperor (called the "pontifex maximus") 04:28.883 --> 04:30.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% became the Christian pope 04:30.417 --> 04:33.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% (also called the "pontifex maximus"). 04:33.250 --> 04:37.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church was "Roman" because it was ruled from Rome 04:37.050 --> 04:41.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and "catholic", a word that means "universal." 04:42.783 --> 04:43.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Through the Middle Ages, 04:43.617 --> 04:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Church condoned a kind of institutionalized slavery -- 04:47.617 --> 04:48.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that was feudalism. 04:48.617 --> 04:51.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Feudal European society was made of three parts -- 04:51.850 --> 04:54.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% The nobility had the secular power 04:54.183 --> 04:55.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and owned most of the land. 04:55.617 --> 04:57.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church, which was the educated elite, 04:57.583 --> 05:00.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% controlled the word of God, and provided spiritual blessings. 05:00.950 --> 05:05.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the down-trodden peasantry -- they did all the hard labor. 05:06.183 --> 05:10.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% For commoners -- that was 90% of the population -- 05:10.317 --> 05:12.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% life was pretty miserable. 05:12.717 --> 05:15.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Most children died before adulthood. 05:15.950 --> 05:19.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Punishments for the poor were harsh. 05:19.650 --> 05:21.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Bell ringing ] 05:21.517 --> 05:24.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% The plague, which routinely devastated towns, 05:24.450 --> 05:26.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% killing a third of the population, 05:26.617 --> 05:29.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% was thought to be the wrath of God. 05:29.450 --> 05:30.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was a frightful time. 05:30.617 --> 05:34.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% People worked the land, hoping only to survive the winter. 05:34.517 --> 05:38.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Life for the vast majority was a dreary existence, 05:38.983 --> 05:43.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% tolerable only as a preparation for heaven. 05:51.617 --> 05:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church offered a glimmer of hope 05:53.617 --> 05:58.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% with the promise of eternal happiness in paradise. 05:58.283 --> 06:01.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% Art was considered worthwhile and legitimate 06:01.117 --> 06:03.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% only as long as it glorified God. 06:03.617 --> 06:08.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% Entire communities dedicated generations of their resources 06:08.117 --> 06:10.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% to constructing the biggest buildings of the age: 06:10.950 --> 06:16.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% awe-inspiring cathedrals lit by splendid stained glass. 06:17.283 --> 06:20.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church commissioned society's greatest art -- 06:20.483 --> 06:25.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% statues, pulpits, and altar pieces, 06:25.150 --> 06:26.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% all done anonymously. 06:26.883 --> 06:31.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% And Europe's faithful masses paid the price, 06:31.050 --> 06:32.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and carried the stone. 06:32.617 --> 06:36.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% To this day, all over Europe, you can see the legacy 06:36.183 --> 06:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% of this great medieval "Age of Faith" -- 06:38.617 --> 06:41.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% soaring naves topped with elaborate Gothic arches 06:41.983 --> 06:44.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% and flooded with a heavenly light. 06:44.450 --> 06:52.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Art was a tool of the Church, both to teach, and to terrify. 06:52.817 --> 06:54.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Imagine, once a week, 06:54.617 --> 06:57.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% illiterate peasants would walk into a church 06:57.150 --> 06:59.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% and be wonder-struck by stained glass, 06:59.717 --> 07:04.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% towering columns, and glittering glories. 07:05.450 --> 07:08.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Church art gave them a glimpse of the amazing heaven 07:08.783 --> 07:11.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% that would reward only the faithful... 07:11.683 --> 07:17.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the terrible hell awaiting those who disobeyed. 07:18.183 --> 07:20.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin Luther lived at the end of this period, 07:20.983 --> 07:23.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% but on the cusp of dramatic change -- 07:23.683 --> 07:27.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% the dawn of the modern age. 07:28.617 --> 07:33.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% In 1501, 18-year-old Martin moved to the city of Erfurt, 07:33.617 --> 07:35.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% where he attended law school. 07:35.483 --> 07:37.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% Even today, this half-timbered medieval town, 07:37.817 --> 07:40.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% with a shallow river gurgling through its center, 07:40.783 --> 07:43.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% remains an inviting destination. 07:43.650 --> 07:45.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Erfurt's venerable university 07:45.483 --> 07:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% produced many illustrious alumni. 07:47.617 --> 07:51.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% But a good education didn't come easy. 07:51.283 --> 07:53.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Medieval students had a rough life. 07:53.583 --> 07:56.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% They got up at 4:00 in the morning to attend mass, 07:56.117 --> 08:00.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% ate two simple meals a day, and only took one bath a month. 08:00.350 --> 08:04.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% On the upside, students were given a liter of beer per meal. 08:04.450 --> 08:07.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin enjoyed his college days here in Erfurt. 08:07.683 --> 08:12.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% Like any normal kid, he studied hard, and he partied hard. 08:13.250 --> 08:16.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% As a schoolboy, young Martin developed his appetite 08:16.517 --> 08:18.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% for learning, music, and the Bible. 08:18.617 --> 08:22.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% A deep thinker and a big personality even at a young age, 08:22.283 --> 08:25.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% his friends nicknamed him "the philosopher." 08:25.250 --> 08:26.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% And his love of good German beer 08:26.783 --> 08:28.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% earned him the title "king of hops." 08:28.683 --> 08:32.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's father had planned that his son would become a lawyer, 08:32.650 --> 08:35.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% but that safe career path was suddenly sidetracked 08:35.617 --> 08:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% by an event that seemed to him like destiny. 08:38.617 --> 08:41.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% In July of 1505, as he was traveling to school, 08:41.883 --> 08:43.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin was caught in a violent storm 08:43.817 --> 08:46.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and nearly struck by a bolt of lightning. 08:46.283 --> 08:49.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Terrified, he promised that if he survived the storm, 08:49.617 --> 08:52.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% he'd dedicate his life to God. 08:52.050 --> 08:53.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Soon after, 21-year-old Martin 08:53.950 --> 08:56.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% checked into Erfurt's Augustinian monastery -- 08:56.650 --> 09:00.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% famous for its discipline and scholarship. 09:00.517 --> 09:02.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The former party boy took a vow 09:02.617 --> 09:05.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% of chastity, poverty, and obedience 09:05.417 --> 09:06.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% and became a monk. 09:06.783 --> 09:09.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther set out to become an A-plus monk. 09:09.950 --> 09:13.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% He did everything he could to please God. 09:13.117 --> 09:14.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% He studied ancient Greek and Hebrew 09:14.717 --> 09:18.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% in order to read the earliest manuscripts of the Bible. 09:18.283 --> 09:20.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% He'd spend hours at a time in confession 09:20.817 --> 09:24.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% and lie overnight on this tomb, arms outstretched, 09:24.783 --> 09:26.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% to meditate on his faith. 09:26.983 --> 09:28.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was ordained a priest 09:28.350 --> 09:31.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% and said his first mass in this church. 09:31.250 --> 09:34.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% By age 23, Martin Luther was a dedicated priest 09:34.650 --> 09:36.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% in the Roman Catholic Church, 09:36.250 --> 09:39.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% and on the fast track to a brilliant career 09:39.050 --> 09:41.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% as a professor of theology. 09:41.350 --> 09:42.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% And yet, in spite of all this, 09:42.717 --> 09:46.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% he remained tormented by feelings of unworthiness. 09:46.417 --> 09:49.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was consumed by a spiritual obsession -- 09:49.817 --> 09:53.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% coming to terms with his relationship as a sinner 09:53.050 --> 09:56.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% with a demanding and judgmental God. 09:56.350 --> 09:58.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% In 1505, the same year 09:58.650 --> 10:01.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% that Luther entered the monastery in Germany, 10:01.050 --> 10:03.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% hundreds of miles to the south, in Italy, 10:03.417 --> 10:05.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Florence was celebrating the unveiling 10:05.350 --> 10:07.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% of a brand-new symbol of the city -- 10:07.983 --> 10:09.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Michelangelo's "David." 10:09.317 --> 10:13.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% David also symbolized a new age, known as the Renaissance. 10:13.817 --> 10:16.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Looking into the confidence in David's face 10:16.617 --> 10:19.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% as he sizes up the giant he's about to kill, 10:19.350 --> 10:23.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Florentines saw optimism, the goodness of creation, 10:23.283 --> 10:27.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the power of the individual to affect change -- 10:27.117 --> 10:30.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% in a word, humanism. 10:32.617 --> 10:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% That's why the Renaissance was about more than just pretty art. 10:36.617 --> 10:38.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was a revolution of ideas. 10:38.717 --> 10:40.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Renaissance, which means "rebirth," 10:40.617 --> 10:43.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% sought to rediscover Western civilization's 10:43.583 --> 10:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% ancient Greek and Roman roots. 10:45.617 --> 10:46.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And with humanism, 10:46.617 --> 10:49.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the importance of the individual skyrocketed. 10:49.617 --> 10:53.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% This "rebirth" opened up a whole new world of possibility -- 10:53.683 --> 10:57.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% in science, politics, and economics. 10:57.683 --> 11:01.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Religion was also seen in a new light. 11:01.417 --> 11:02.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Life was suddenly about more 11:02.617 --> 11:04.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% than preparing for the hereafter. 11:04.717 --> 11:07.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Artists saw themselves as an extension 11:07.317 --> 11:08.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% of God's creative powers. 11:08.850 --> 11:13.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Both in subject matter, like beautiful nude bodies -- 11:13.017 --> 11:13.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% and in theme, 11:13.783 --> 11:17.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% humanists embraced the full human experience. 11:17.617 --> 11:20.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Rather than just bowing down in church, 11:20.783 --> 11:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Renaissance artists and thinkers 11:22.617 --> 11:25.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% sought to express the glory of humanity 11:25.117 --> 11:28.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% and, in doing so, to glorify God. 11:28.583 --> 11:31.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Other big changes were also percolating. 11:31.617 --> 11:34.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Imagine Europe's class of 1500. 11:34.517 --> 11:36.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Great thinkers like Leonardo da Vinci 11:36.583 --> 11:38.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% embraced science and studied nature. 11:38.883 --> 11:42.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Gutenberg's printing press made books affordable, 11:42.250 --> 11:44.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% allowing knowledge to spread rapidly. 11:44.617 --> 11:49.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% Michelangelo was chipping away at his early masterpieces, 11:49.717 --> 11:53.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Machiavelli was shaping modern politics, 11:53.017 --> 11:55.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Columbus stumbled upon the Americas, 11:55.350 --> 11:58.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Copernicus was putting the earth in its place, 11:58.250 --> 12:01.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% and Martin Luther, among other courageous reformers, 12:01.450 --> 12:06.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% would soon be questioning 1500 years of Church tradition. 12:06.183 --> 12:07.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% With all this progress, 12:07.617 --> 12:10.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% two important movements in European history 12:10.117 --> 12:11.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% were about to intersect: 12:11.017 --> 12:14.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Renaissance and the coming Protestant Reformation. 12:14.317 --> 12:18.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% But first, Luther had to address his inner turmoil, 12:18.483 --> 12:23.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% and a life-changing trip helped make that happen. 12:23.417 --> 12:24.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% In 1510, seeking a way 12:24.683 --> 12:27.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% to help the troubled young monk overcome his demons, 12:27.517 --> 12:29.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Brother Martin's superiors at the monastery 12:29.650 --> 12:31.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% sent him on a pilgrimage. 12:31.017 --> 12:33.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% He walked 700 miles through a harsh winter, 12:33.983 --> 12:36.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% over the Alps, down the spine of Italy 12:36.117 --> 12:37.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% on a pilgrim's trail just like this. 12:37.950 --> 12:41.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% His destination -- the hometown of his Christian faith, 12:41.850 --> 12:42.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% the city of Rome. 12:42.683 --> 12:47.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Imagine Luther, the weary yet wide-eyed young pilgrim, 12:47.250 --> 12:48.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% trekking for weeks... 12:48.317 --> 12:52.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% and finally cresting this hill and seeing Rome. 12:52.150 --> 12:54.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Passing through the gates of the city, 12:54.050 --> 12:59.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% he dropped to his knees and said, "Hail, holy city of Rome!" 12:59.817 --> 13:01.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% He would have seen many of the same sights 13:01.717 --> 13:04.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that tourists and pilgrims enjoy today, 13:04.617 --> 13:07.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% places like the fabled Colosseum, 13:07.417 --> 13:08.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% the glorious Pantheon -- 13:08.417 --> 13:11.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% where pilgrims remembered early Christian martyrs 13:11.117 --> 13:12.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% sent to their deaths, 13:12.350 --> 13:15.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% and churches approached by long stairways -- 13:15.350 --> 13:18.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% busy with worshippers climbing on their knees. 13:18.783 --> 13:22.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% He marveled at exquisite basilicas, 13:22.050 --> 13:24.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% and gazed at Castel Sant'Angelo, 13:24.150 --> 13:25.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% the fortress where the pope would take refuge 13:25.817 --> 13:29.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% when the city was under siege in that rough-and-tumble age. 13:29.617 --> 13:33.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther crossed this bridge, the venerable Ponte Sant'Angelo, 13:33.883 --> 13:36.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% to reach the highlight of his pilgrimage -- 13:36.250 --> 13:37.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% St. Peter's Basilica. 13:37.850 --> 13:41.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Today's basilica stands on the tomb of St. Peter -- 13:41.417 --> 13:43.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% the spot where, nearly 2,000 years ago, 13:43.850 --> 13:48.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Christianity became solidly established in Europe. 13:48.483 --> 13:51.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's believed that Peter, Jesus' right-hand man, 13:51.317 --> 13:52.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% was crucified for his beliefs 13:52.883 --> 13:55.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% right here at a chariot racecourse, 13:55.617 --> 13:59.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% which was decorated by this obelisk. 13:59.883 --> 14:03.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% His followers buried his body in a humble graveyard 14:03.317 --> 14:05.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% on the Vatican Hill -- just over there. 14:05.283 --> 14:09.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% For three centuries, Christians worshipped quietly at his grave. 14:09.150 --> 14:12.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% In the fourth century, after Christianity was legalized, 14:12.617 --> 14:17.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% a huge church was built directly upon Peter's tomb. 14:17.983 --> 14:22.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% While today's basilica was built shortly after Luther's visit, 14:22.283 --> 14:23.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% stepping into the grand church, 14:23.650 --> 14:25.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther would have had an experience 14:25.683 --> 14:27.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% much like pilgrims do now. 14:27.650 --> 14:30.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% He'd have seen Peter everywhere -- 14:30.283 --> 14:35.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% in artwork, his tomb, 14:35.617 --> 14:38.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% and in the words that Christ spoke to his disciple, 14:38.183 --> 14:40.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% which gave the popes in Rome their holy authority -- 14:40.883 --> 14:45.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." 14:45.683 --> 14:47.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% And, like today's pilgrims, 14:47.650 --> 14:49.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin Luther lined up to kiss the foot -- 14:49.783 --> 14:52.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% worn shiny by over 1,000 years of veneration -- 14:52.817 --> 14:57.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% of this very statue of Peter, the first pope. 14:57.617 --> 15:00.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Despite all the history and grandeur, 15:00.483 --> 15:02.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was struck by the contradiction 15:02.450 --> 15:05.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% between the enormous wealth of the Church 15:05.117 --> 15:06.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the Bible's emphasis 15:06.283 --> 15:09.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% on simplicity and caring for the poor. 15:09.783 --> 15:12.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% During Luther's visit, 15:12.017 --> 15:14.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% the bombastic Pope Julius II 15:14.050 --> 15:15.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% was in the midst of spending a fortune 15:15.717 --> 15:18.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% for an extravagant remodel of his church. 15:18.483 --> 15:21.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% In addition, the pope had hired Raphael 15:21.150 --> 15:23.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% to decorate his personal living quarters 15:23.617 --> 15:26.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% with elaborate frescoes 15:26.617 --> 15:29.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% and Michelangelo to paint his sanctuary -- 15:29.983 --> 15:33.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Sistine Chapel. 15:33.017 --> 15:34.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% All this was to be financed 15:34.417 --> 15:40.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% by money extracted from faithful parishioners across Europe. 15:41.483 --> 15:44.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Over the centuries, the Church, ruled from Rome, 15:44.317 --> 15:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% had grown increasingly corrupt and worldly. 15:47.617 --> 15:51.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Popes, bishops, and priests lived in luxury 15:51.483 --> 15:52.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% while others struggled, 15:52.450 --> 15:55.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% tarnishing the Church's reputation. 15:55.983 --> 15:59.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church hierarchy had become materialistic 15:59.017 --> 16:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and entangled with politics. 16:00.617 --> 16:05.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% Sins were crimes, and tithes were collected like taxes. 16:05.183 --> 16:09.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Popes waged war, and bishops were treated like royalty -- 16:09.983 --> 16:11.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% when one entered the room, 16:11.450 --> 16:14.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% you knelt and made a show of humility. 16:14.650 --> 16:15.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church -- 16:15.317 --> 16:18.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% tasked with protecting 1500 years of tradition -- 16:18.150 --> 16:22.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% had grown conservative, even as times were changing quickly. 16:22.717 --> 16:25.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% While scientists and progressive thinkers 16:25.317 --> 16:26.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% were introducing new ideas, 16:26.683 --> 16:28.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Church, which defended the notion 16:28.617 --> 16:31.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that the world was the center of the universe, 16:31.617 --> 16:33.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% fought against these new ideas. 16:33.683 --> 16:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the Church was the keeper of knowledge. 16:36.617 --> 16:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Knowledge is power, and in Europe, 16:38.617 --> 16:39.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% until modern times, 16:39.617 --> 16:43.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% church abbey libraries held most of the books. 16:43.617 --> 16:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And locked away in these libraries 16:45.617 --> 16:48.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% were any books with threatening ideas -- 16:48.017 --> 16:51.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% the "libri prohibiti," or prohibited books. 16:51.817 --> 16:55.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Church leaders were the gate-keepers to this knowledge, 16:55.783 --> 16:59.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% and they alone had the key. 17:00.717 --> 17:04.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Back then, access to the Bible was also controlled. 17:04.650 --> 17:06.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was only available in Latin, 17:06.617 --> 17:09.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% which only the educated elites of medieval Europe, 17:09.283 --> 17:10.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% which was the clergy, could read. 17:10.983 --> 17:14.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% For over 1,000 years, mass had been said in Latin. 17:14.617 --> 17:17.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Priests would interpret the Word of God to the parishioner, 17:17.317 --> 17:21.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% who had little choice but to simply nod in agreement. 17:21.250 --> 17:23.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% In Rome, Luther came face-to-face 17:23.950 --> 17:26.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% with this worldly corruption at its worst. 17:26.650 --> 17:29.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% And one thing he found particularly troubling -- 17:29.783 --> 17:31.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% the veneration of holy relics. 17:31.950 --> 17:35.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Relics were the physical remains of something holy -- 17:35.617 --> 17:40.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% a saint's bone, a piece of the cross, or a drop of holy blood. 17:40.450 --> 17:44.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Rome was the richest place in Christendom for relics, 17:44.250 --> 17:47.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% which helped make it the ultimate destination 17:47.250 --> 17:47.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% for pilgrims. 17:47.717 --> 17:53.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the pilgrimage trade was a big money-maker for the Church. 17:53.250 --> 17:55.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Medieval Christians believed they'd go to heaven 17:55.783 --> 17:58.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% only if they did more good than evil. 17:58.017 --> 18:00.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% And most figured they'd fall short. 18:00.450 --> 18:00.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% So when they died, 18:00.983 --> 18:03.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% God would need to purge them of their excess sin. 18:03.783 --> 18:06.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church called this purging process "purgatory" 18:06.617 --> 18:09.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the people thought of it as years of misery. 18:09.450 --> 18:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% To reduce waiting time in purgatory, 18:11.617 --> 18:14.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the devout accumulated good works in this lifetime 18:14.617 --> 18:18.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% by doing penance, and by venerating holy relics. 18:18.450 --> 18:19.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Like any devout pilgrim, 18:19.850 --> 18:23.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther immersed himself in the holy sights of Rome 18:23.450 --> 18:25.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% and visited a long list of relics. 18:25.783 --> 18:28.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% But he became increasingly disenchanted. 18:28.850 --> 18:32.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% He wondered if these objects really were that important. 18:32.483 --> 18:35.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% He observed lots of greed and hedonism, 18:35.450 --> 18:38.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% and very little spirituality. 18:38.117 --> 18:41.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% It seemed that each spiritual favor came with a price. 18:41.683 --> 18:45.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Corrupt monks and clergy were abusing both their powers 18:45.517 --> 18:47.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the trust of their parishioners. 18:47.817 --> 18:50.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% And Luther bristled at the pope's lavish lifestyle 18:50.717 --> 18:56.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% and vanity projects funded by the sale of indulgences. 18:56.717 --> 18:59.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Indulgences worked like this: 18:59.517 --> 19:00.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% The saints lived such holy lives 19:00.783 --> 19:04.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% that they accumulated a surplus of "heavenly merits." 19:04.350 --> 19:07.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% These merits could be earned or purchased by sinners 19:07.617 --> 19:09.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% and then used as a kind of currency 19:09.483 --> 19:11.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% to buy down the consequences of their sins. 19:11.983 --> 19:14.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% An indulgence came as a letter from the pope, 19:14.617 --> 19:17.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% a kind of coupon good for less time in purgatory. 19:17.717 --> 19:19.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% And they were transferable. 19:19.050 --> 19:21.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% An earnest Christian could actually buy credit 19:21.350 --> 19:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% for his dead loved ones, as well. 19:22.617 --> 19:26.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% One day while in Rome, Luther visited the Scala Santa 19:26.983 --> 19:29.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% (or "Holy Steps") -- brought back from the Holy Land 19:29.883 --> 19:31.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% and believed to be the very steps 19:31.783 --> 19:32.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% from Pontius Pilate's palace 19:32.850 --> 19:36.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% that Jesus climbed on the day he was convicted. 19:36.183 --> 19:38.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% As Roman Catholic pilgrims still do today, 19:38.883 --> 19:41.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther joined the crowd and made his way up, 19:41.617 --> 19:44.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% saying the Lord's Prayer on each step. 19:44.683 --> 19:47.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% The pilgrim's reward for this climb -- 19:47.017 --> 19:51.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% fewer years in purgatory for each of those steps. 19:52.517 --> 19:55.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Reaching the top, Luther stood up and thought, 19:55.250 --> 19:58.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% "Who knows if this is actually true?" 19:59.783 --> 20:02.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther had a lot to think about as he hiked home. 20:02.517 --> 20:07.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Back in Germany, he moved to the university town of Wittenberg, 20:07.017 --> 20:09.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% where he became a professor of theology. 20:09.883 --> 20:13.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% At the time, Wittenberg was on the rise. 20:13.617 --> 20:15.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% The local ruler, Prince Frederick the Wise, 20:15.883 --> 20:17.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% was working to make his capital 20:17.617 --> 20:20.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% an intellectual and cultural center. 20:20.350 --> 20:23.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% He invited the region's best and brightest -- 20:23.150 --> 20:26.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% from Luther to the painter Lucas Cranach 20:26.250 --> 20:29.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% to Luther's fellow professor and theologian, 20:29.650 --> 20:31.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% Philip Melanchthon. 20:31.283 --> 20:34.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% The old center of Wittenberg looks much like it did 20:34.417 --> 20:35.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% in Martin Luther's day. 20:35.817 --> 20:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Stately mansions stand shoulder to shoulder, 20:38.617 --> 20:42.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the main square is dominated by its town hall. 20:44.050 --> 20:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Wittenberg's Church of St. Mary 20:45.617 --> 20:50.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% is where young Luther preached hundreds of sermons. 20:52.617 --> 20:55.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% As if sorting out the spiritual confusion 20:55.483 --> 20:56.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% caused by his time in Rome, 20:56.617 --> 20:59.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther struggled publicly through his preaching. 20:59.983 --> 21:00.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was a dilemma. 21:00.783 --> 21:03.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% He wanted to be true both to his Church 21:03.450 --> 21:05.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and to his new understanding of God. 21:05.617 --> 21:08.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Things were revving up as it was becoming clear to everyone 21:08.983 --> 21:12.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% that there were discrepancies between what the Bible taught 21:12.450 --> 21:14.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and what the Church was doing. 21:14.283 --> 21:16.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther attracted larger and larger crowds 21:16.317 --> 21:19.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% as, eventually, both his teaching and his writings 21:19.417 --> 21:22.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% directly attacked the corrupt practices he'd seen in Rome. 21:22.950 --> 21:26.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% At the altar today, a painting shows a charismatic Luther 21:26.817 --> 21:28.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% preaching with his hand on the Bible, 21:28.817 --> 21:30.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% recalling how he supported his points 21:30.883 --> 21:32.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% not by relying on Church tradition 21:32.717 --> 21:35.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% but by quoting directly from the gospel. 21:35.150 --> 21:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was not the first to question Church practices, 21:38.617 --> 21:41.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% nor was this discontent limited to Germany. 21:41.617 --> 21:43.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% But going up against the medieval Church 21:43.617 --> 21:46.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% had a history of deadly consequences. 21:46.883 --> 21:48.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% Two centuries before Luther, 21:48.283 --> 21:51.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% these evocative and remote castles in the south of France 21:51.617 --> 21:53.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% were destroyed by the medieval Church 21:53.017 --> 21:58.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% to silence heretical voices and keep the Church united. 21:59.183 --> 22:02.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% They were the desperate last refuge of the Cathars, 22:02.050 --> 22:07.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% a break-away group of Christians who disobeyed Church dictates. 22:07.617 --> 22:11.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% After a terrible period of torture and mass burnings, 22:11.050 --> 22:14.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Cathars were wiped out. 22:15.117 --> 22:16.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% A century after the Cathars, 22:16.683 --> 22:19.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% Jan Hus of Prague also confronted the Church 22:19.717 --> 22:21.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% and met a similar fate. 22:21.517 --> 22:23.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He demanded that ordinary Christians 22:23.617 --> 22:24.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% be allowed to take communion 22:24.683 --> 22:27.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% with both the bread and the wine, 22:27.050 --> 22:29.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% which at the time was reserved exclusively 22:29.617 --> 22:31.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% for the priest. 22:31.250 --> 22:32.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Like Luther, Hus was a professor 22:32.617 --> 22:35.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% who gave controversial sermons and challenged Church authority 22:35.617 --> 22:39.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% by translating parts of the Bible into the local language. 22:39.583 --> 22:43.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% And, also like Luther, Hus was prepared to die 22:43.583 --> 22:45.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% for his convictions. 22:45.417 --> 22:47.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% But Hus was ahead of his time. 22:47.517 --> 22:48.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Lacking Luther's advantages, 22:48.583 --> 22:50.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% such as the printing press to help spread his ideas, 22:50.883 --> 22:57.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% Jan Hus was declared a heretic and burned at the stake in 1415. 22:59.517 --> 23:00.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Back in Wittenberg, 23:00.417 --> 23:03.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% just as Luther was struggling with these contradictions 23:03.350 --> 23:05.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% and becoming more and more skeptical, 23:05.317 --> 23:07.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pope kicked off a capital campaign 23:07.517 --> 23:10.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% to build a glorious new St. Peter's Church in Rome. 23:10.883 --> 23:12.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% It would be very expensive, 23:12.517 --> 23:14.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the German states, more fragmented 23:14.617 --> 23:17.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% and therefore easier to take advantage of 23:17.017 --> 23:18.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% than other parts of Europe, 23:18.183 --> 23:19.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% would foot much of the bill. 23:19.617 --> 23:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Papal fundraisers came out in full force. 23:22.617 --> 23:24.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% With a fanfare of drummers and trumpeters, 23:24.817 --> 23:28.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% the fundraising campaign of the zealous priest John Tetzel 23:28.950 --> 23:30.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% came to Luther's neighborhood. 23:30.683 --> 23:32.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% They offered letters of indulgence 23:32.050 --> 23:36.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% promising full forgiveness for all sins, no matter how great, 23:36.517 --> 23:39.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and absolution from all punishments. 23:39.617 --> 23:42.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% As these were fully transferable, 23:42.450 --> 23:43.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% indulgences were ideal 23:43.650 --> 23:46.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% for bailing loved ones out of purgatory. 23:46.417 --> 23:48.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Caring and frightened peasants lined up to buy 23:48.617 --> 23:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% as Tetzel's men sang, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, 23:53.617 --> 23:57.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% another soul from purgatory springs." 23:57.583 --> 23:59.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Coin jingles ] 23:59.350 --> 24:03.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, with fresh memories of the corruption he saw in Rome, 24:03.417 --> 24:03.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% was outraged. 24:03.883 --> 24:06.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Bible said nothing about buying forgiveness. 24:06.517 --> 24:08.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% And it said nothing about purgatory, either. 24:08.817 --> 24:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, now brazenly defying both the pope 24:11.617 --> 24:14.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% and over 1,000 years of Church tradition, 24:14.517 --> 24:16.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% had become hugely popular. 24:16.317 --> 24:18.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% But internally, he was still struggling 24:18.617 --> 24:21.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% with feelings of his own unworthiness. 24:21.283 --> 24:24.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% He searched the Bible, hungry for an answer. 24:24.650 --> 24:25.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was desperate to know, 24:25.717 --> 24:29.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% how could anyone deserve or earn salvation? 24:29.617 --> 24:33.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% He found his answer in Paul's letter to the Romans. 24:33.683 --> 24:36.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% It read, "The just shall live by faith." 24:36.983 --> 24:39.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% With that key phrase, Luther discovered 24:39.283 --> 24:41.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% what he considered the good news, 24:41.283 --> 24:44.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% that salvation is not earned by doing good works 24:44.283 --> 24:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% or giving money to the Church. 24:45.617 --> 24:47.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's a free gift to anyone who believes. 24:47.683 --> 24:50.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Realizing this, Luther actually wrote, 24:50.983 --> 24:54.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% "All at once, I felt that I had been born again." 24:54.483 --> 24:57.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Re-energized, Luther began shaping a new theology 24:57.617 --> 25:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that emphasized a personal relationship with God. 25:00.617 --> 25:03.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was each person's faith that mattered, 25:03.517 --> 25:05.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% rather than Church rituals. 25:05.517 --> 25:10.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% By the fall of 1517, Luther was ready to go public. 25:10.483 --> 25:13.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% He wrote a treatise, known as his 95 Theses, 25:13.983 --> 25:15.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% or points for discussion. 25:15.617 --> 25:20.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% As any good professor should, he raised some hard questions. 25:20.483 --> 25:23.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% For example, point 82 boldly asked, 25:23.050 --> 25:27.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% "If the pope redeems some souls for the sake of miserable money 25:27.483 --> 25:27.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% to buy a church, 25:27.883 --> 25:33.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% why doesn't he empty purgatory for the sake of holy love?" 25:33.783 --> 25:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was here, at Wittenberg's Castle Church, 25:36.617 --> 25:39.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% where, on October 31, 1517, 25:39.283 --> 25:41.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin Luther came with his 95 points. 25:41.650 --> 25:44.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% According to legend, he nailed the list to the door. 25:44.617 --> 25:47.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was a kind of community bulletin board back then. 25:47.817 --> 25:48.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was written in Latin 25:48.983 --> 25:51.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% and intended only for scholarly debate. 25:51.483 --> 25:54.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% But its impact turned out to be far greater. 25:54.283 --> 25:57.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's supporters spread his ideas. 25:57.350 --> 26:00.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% They were printed up in German and spread across the land. 26:00.883 --> 26:03.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% The issues he called attention to angered the public. 26:03.850 --> 26:08.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% This was a turning point, and now, change was unstoppable. 26:08.183 --> 26:11.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% The sale of indulgences dropped dramatically, 26:11.050 --> 26:13.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the pope's salesmen were run out of town 26:13.583 --> 26:16.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% as German mobs now chanted slogans like, 26:16.283 --> 26:18.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% "When the coin rings in the pitcher, 26:18.317 --> 26:20.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pope becomes even richer." 26:20.883 --> 26:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Coin jingles ] 26:22.617 --> 26:25.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's posting of the 95 Theses 26:25.017 --> 26:26.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% kicked off the Reformation. 26:26.483 --> 26:29.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Many consider this the most important religious event 26:29.617 --> 26:31.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% of the last 1,000 years. 26:31.117 --> 26:34.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% And today, 500 years later, Reformation Sunday 26:34.483 --> 26:37.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% is still celebrated in Protestant churches 26:37.283 --> 26:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% each October. 26:38.617 --> 26:42.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was expert at P.R., and his timing was ideal. 26:42.983 --> 26:43.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% While he was a great writer, 26:43.950 --> 26:46.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% he also had the best political cartoonist in the land 26:46.850 --> 26:47.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% as a friend 26:47.517 --> 26:50.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and took full advantage of the new-fangled printing press. 26:50.617 --> 26:54.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% Thanks to the printing press, his many sermons and essays 26:54.283 --> 26:57.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% could be quickly and cheaply mass-produced as booklets. 26:57.617 --> 27:02.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% His writing was witty, concise, and often in the local dialect. 27:02.950 --> 27:05.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% His pamphlets were instant bestsellers, 27:05.450 --> 27:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% nicknamed Flugschriften, or writings that fly, 27:08.617 --> 27:11.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% because they spread like a flock of birds 27:11.417 --> 27:12.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% to every corner of Europe. 27:12.683 --> 27:17.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% In today's terms, his ideas went viral. 27:17.150 --> 27:19.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% And that political cartoonist? 27:19.317 --> 27:20.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% That was Lucas Cranach. 27:20.617 --> 27:24.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Cranach painted many portraits of Luther and his family 27:24.517 --> 27:26.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and illustrated Luther's books. 27:26.617 --> 27:29.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Knowing many of his followers were illiterate, 27:29.017 --> 27:32.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther used Cranach to illustrate his points. 27:32.617 --> 27:34.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And Cranach did so vividly. 27:34.617 --> 27:38.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Book covers showed priests as bumbling animals, 27:38.583 --> 27:40.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% even the pope as a donkey. 27:40.583 --> 27:44.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's bold ideas resonated with the masses -- 27:44.050 --> 27:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% "Christ is found not in the bones of saints 27:47.617 --> 27:49.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% but in your love for each other, 27:49.017 --> 27:52.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% in the sacraments, and in the Holy words." 27:52.617 --> 27:54.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% "God's forgiveness cannot be purchased 27:54.983 --> 27:56.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% like a sack of potatoes. 27:56.583 --> 27:59.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% The pope needs more prayer than money." 27:59.683 --> 28:02.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Meanwhile, the news of Luther's theology, 28:02.250 --> 28:05.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% attacks on the Church, and growing popularity reached Rome. 28:05.950 --> 28:09.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% The new pope, Leo X, called Luther a heretic 28:09.517 --> 28:12.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% and sent him a papal bull threatening excommunication. 28:12.817 --> 28:17.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% This formal document gave Luther 60 days to recant 28:17.017 --> 28:18.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% or be kicked out of the Church. 28:18.717 --> 28:21.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, not cowed by the pope's bull, 28:21.617 --> 28:23.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% responded with a flurry of new pamphlets, 28:23.850 --> 28:26.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% further challenging Church practices. 28:26.817 --> 28:28.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Things escalated. 28:28.650 --> 28:30.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% In a legendary tit-for-tat, 28:30.783 --> 28:33.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pope ordered the burning of Luther's books, 28:33.717 --> 28:37.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% and Luther burned the papal bull. 28:37.950 --> 28:40.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The more the Church opposed Luther, 28:40.617 --> 28:42.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% the bolder Luther became. 28:42.483 --> 28:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The two most powerful leaders in Europe back then 28:45.617 --> 28:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% were the pope, based in Rome, 28:47.617 --> 28:49.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% and the holy Roman emperor, 28:49.017 --> 28:51.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% whose empire spanned much of Europe. 28:51.650 --> 28:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The pope was furious. 28:53.617 --> 28:57.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the emperor, Charles V, being a devout Catholic, 28:57.450 --> 29:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% wanted to support his pope. 29:00.717 --> 29:03.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% The emperor could have crushed Luther easily. 29:03.783 --> 29:05.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% But Charles had a bigger problem. 29:05.583 --> 29:08.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Turks were threatening Europe from the east, 29:08.417 --> 29:09.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% closing in on Vienna. 29:09.617 --> 29:12.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Much of Charles' Empire was made of German states, 29:12.617 --> 29:15.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% so to defend Europe, he needed German support. 29:15.683 --> 29:18.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Knowing Martin Luther had powerful German friends, 29:18.617 --> 29:21.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% the emperor had to deal with Luther cautiously. 29:21.683 --> 29:23.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% He agreed to give Luther a hearing 29:23.817 --> 29:26.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% and summoned him to the imperial diet -- 29:26.150 --> 29:27.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% that's like a congressional hearing -- 29:27.950 --> 29:30.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% in the city of Worms on the Rhine River. 29:30.250 --> 29:34.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Holy Roman Emperor himself traveled to Worms to arbitrate. 29:34.717 --> 29:37.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's challenge to Rome's authority 29:37.050 --> 29:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% was cheered by Germans. 29:38.617 --> 29:40.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Traveling to Worms, Luther was greeted 29:40.617 --> 29:43.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% with a hero's welcome at every stop. 29:43.350 --> 29:44.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Pamphlets showed him with a halo 29:44.617 --> 29:48.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% accompanied by a dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit. 29:48.883 --> 29:52.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's said that in one town, 60 horsemen escorted Luther 29:52.450 --> 29:55.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% to a church so packed with people eager to hear him preach 29:55.950 --> 29:59.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% that the balcony groaned and nearly collapsed. 29:59.317 --> 30:01.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Imagine the showdown at Worms -- 30:01.450 --> 30:05.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% papal representatives, princes, Imperial troops, 30:05.517 --> 30:06.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% all power-dressing. 30:06.617 --> 30:09.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The emperor himself, sitting high on his throne. 30:09.617 --> 30:12.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% The crowds craning to see the action. 30:12.117 --> 30:15.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% In the center of the room, Martin Luther stood alone 30:15.683 --> 30:16.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% beside a table 30:16.417 --> 30:19.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% stacked with his rabble-rousing books and pamphlets. 30:19.450 --> 30:23.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% The prosecutor insisted Luther was a heretic. 30:23.150 --> 30:24.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Summing up his case, he asked 30:24.350 --> 30:28.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% "Who are you to go against 1,500 years of Church doctrine?" 30:28.617 --> 30:31.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% He demanded that Luther renounce his writings. 30:31.983 --> 30:33.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther would not budge. 30:33.817 --> 30:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Perhaps as never before in European history, 30:36.617 --> 30:41.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% one ordinary person stood up to authority for what he believed. 30:41.250 --> 30:44.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% He said, "Unless you can convince me 30:44.017 --> 30:46.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% by scripture or by clear reasoning, 30:46.950 --> 30:49.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% I am bound by my beliefs. 30:49.450 --> 30:52.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% I cannot and I will not recant. 30:52.617 --> 30:56.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% May God help me. Amen." 30:57.617 --> 30:59.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was declared a heretic 30:59.617 --> 31:02.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% and left Worms essentially an outlaw. 31:02.050 --> 31:04.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Now outside the protection of the law, 31:04.250 --> 31:07.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther could be captured and killed by anyone. 31:07.517 --> 31:08.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% On his way home to Wittenberg, 31:08.650 --> 31:10.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% he was kidnapped and dropped out of sight. 31:10.950 --> 31:13.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% Many thought Luther had been killed. 31:13.150 --> 31:15.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% In fact, Luther had been kidnapped 31:15.783 --> 31:17.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% but by friends for his own safety. 31:17.850 --> 31:20.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was given refuge in the Wartburg Castle 31:20.617 --> 31:24.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% by his benefactor, Prince Frederick the Wise. 31:24.617 --> 31:25.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther grew a beard 31:25.617 --> 31:29.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% and passed himself off as a simple knight, Junker George. 31:29.950 --> 31:31.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% He spent the next year in hiding, 31:31.883 --> 31:37.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% waiting, planning, and wondering what would come next. 31:37.283 --> 31:40.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% This was Luther's room. 31:40.617 --> 31:43.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Restless and lonely in the castle, 31:43.617 --> 31:45.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% he fell into depression. 31:45.450 --> 31:47.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% Throughout his life, he had struggled with 31:47.283 --> 31:51.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% what he saw as his personal war with Satan. 31:51.050 --> 31:51.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther would say, 31:51.983 --> 31:54.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% "Whenever the devil harasses you, 31:54.250 --> 31:56.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% seek out the company of friends, 31:56.017 --> 31:58.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% drink more, joke, and make merry." 31:58.850 --> 32:02.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Alone at Wartburg, he fought his depression 32:02.617 --> 32:04.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% by studying and writing. 32:04.017 --> 32:08.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% And it was here that he employed his favorite weapon -- 32:08.017 --> 32:10.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% the printed word. 32:11.850 --> 32:15.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% Believing that everyone should be able to read the word of God, 32:15.683 --> 32:18.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther began the daunting and dangerous task 32:18.850 --> 32:20.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% of translating the New Testament 32:20.417 --> 32:23.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% from the original ancient Greek into German. 32:23.250 --> 32:26.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% He used simplified language, as he said, 32:26.317 --> 32:28.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% like a mother talking to her children. 32:28.283 --> 32:31.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Just as the King James version of the Bible did for English, 32:31.850 --> 32:33.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's translation helped to establish 32:33.850 --> 32:37.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% a standard German language that's used to this day. 32:37.450 --> 32:40.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's translation brought the Bible to the masses. 32:40.483 --> 32:44.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% The printing press made it more readily available and affordable 32:44.583 --> 32:45.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% to the public. 32:45.517 --> 32:48.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% And German literacy rates skyrocketed. 32:48.317 --> 32:50.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% As Germans read the Bible for the first time, 32:50.850 --> 32:55.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% they found, as Luther had, no mention of indulgences, 32:55.583 --> 32:57.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% purgatory, or even a pope. 32:57.483 --> 33:00.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% This further fanned the fires of reform. 33:00.650 --> 33:02.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was becoming the hero 33:02.250 --> 33:05.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% and figurehead of a growing revolution. 33:05.317 --> 33:07.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% The epic showdown at the Diet of Worms 33:07.650 --> 33:09.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% inspired others to action. 33:09.617 --> 33:11.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% Before long, across the land, 33:11.117 --> 33:13.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% monks and nuns left their monasteries, 33:13.950 --> 33:14.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% priests got married, 33:14.617 --> 33:18.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% and peasants were actually challenging the feudal system. 33:18.017 --> 33:20.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Things went beyond Luther's intentions 33:20.850 --> 33:22.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% of reforming the Church. 33:22.417 --> 33:23.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Reformation was unleashing 33:23.683 --> 33:26.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% a grassroots social and political rebellion, 33:26.783 --> 33:29.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% and it spread like fire. 33:29.317 --> 33:32.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% The changes spilled beyond religion. 33:32.150 --> 33:34.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% In 1524, Germany's peasants, 33:34.050 --> 33:37.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% emboldened by Luther's brave challenge to the status quo, 33:37.817 --> 33:40.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% rose up, attacking their feudal masters 33:40.617 --> 33:42.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% with hoes and pitchforks. 33:42.317 --> 33:46.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% They misinterpreted Luther's calls for freedom of religion 33:46.017 --> 33:50.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% to mean freedom from their feudal lords, as well. 33:50.483 --> 33:51.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, who was only concerned 33:51.817 --> 33:53.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% with issues of faith and the Church, 33:53.950 --> 33:57.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% was horrified that his ideas could be misused 33:57.317 --> 33:59.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% to spark such a social revolt. 33:59.617 --> 34:02.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% He actually condoned the nobles' brutal crackdown 34:02.683 --> 34:05.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% as they killed thousands of peasants to restore order. 34:05.683 --> 34:10.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% But it was clear, the wheels of revolution he'd set in motion 34:10.317 --> 34:12.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% could not be stopped. 34:13.617 --> 34:16.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin Luther's reforms unleashed turmoil 34:16.583 --> 34:17.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% far beyond his intent. 34:17.817 --> 34:20.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Eventually Luther left his Wartburg castle refuge 34:20.950 --> 34:23.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% and returned home, here to Wittenberg. 34:23.150 --> 34:26.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% He surrounded himself with a theological think tank 34:26.050 --> 34:28.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and worked to rein in the extremism 34:28.283 --> 34:29.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% now rampaging through the land 34:29.883 --> 34:32.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and to give direction to the Reformation 34:32.283 --> 34:34.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% and to what was becoming the "Lutheran" Church. 34:34.817 --> 34:38.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Reformation movement spread far beyond Germany 34:38.683 --> 34:40.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% in the early 1500s. 34:40.250 --> 34:42.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, while pivotal, was only one 34:42.250 --> 34:46.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% of many Christian leaders struggling to reform the Church. 34:46.617 --> 34:47.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% In Switzerland, 34:47.183 --> 34:50.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% a land with deep roots in democracy and free thinking, 34:50.117 --> 34:54.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Ulrich Zwingli also challenged the authority of Rome. 34:54.450 --> 34:57.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% From his pulpit in Zurich, he railed against Church corruption 34:57.517 --> 35:01.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% and any practices that weren't specifically mentioned in the Bible. 35:01.350 --> 35:05.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% His mission -- to place a Bible, written in everyday German, 35:05.683 --> 35:07.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% into the hands of every person. 35:07.850 --> 35:12.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% Zwingli's ideas reached each of Switzerland's remote cantons, 35:12.183 --> 35:14.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% and his theology gave the famously independent 35:14.717 --> 35:18.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% and yet to be united Swiss something in common. 35:18.583 --> 35:21.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% In nearby Geneva, in this church, 35:21.517 --> 35:25.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% a Frenchman named John Calvin also preached reform. 35:25.617 --> 35:27.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% Like Luther, Calvin was convinced 35:27.883 --> 35:30.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that salvation was by God's grace. 35:30.617 --> 35:32.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% But Calvin emphasized predestination, 35:32.950 --> 35:36.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% the notion that God had already decided who was saved. 35:36.683 --> 35:39.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% Calvinism, which evolved into Presbyterianism, 35:39.883 --> 35:43.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% spread to France, the Netherlands, and beyond. 35:43.683 --> 35:47.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Protestant ideas spread quickly through Scandinavia, 35:47.517 --> 35:49.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% thanks to its rulers. 35:49.183 --> 35:50.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% King Christian III of Denmark 35:50.617 --> 35:53.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% had actually been present at the Diet of Worms 35:53.050 --> 35:55.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% and was inspired by Luther's brave stand. 35:55.950 --> 35:59.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% He returned home to Copenhagen to establish Lutheranism 35:59.950 --> 36:02.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% as Denmark's state religion. 36:02.983 --> 36:05.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Swedish king, Gustav Vasa, 36:05.017 --> 36:07.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% took a shrewd political approach. 36:07.850 --> 36:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He used the Reformation 36:08.617 --> 36:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% to make a clean break with Roman Catholic rule, 36:11.617 --> 36:13.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% nationalize Church holdings, 36:13.017 --> 36:14.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and consolidate power for himself, 36:14.850 --> 36:19.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% thus becoming the father of the modern state of Sweden. 36:19.050 --> 36:23.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% In England, King Henry VIII also broke with the pope in Rome 36:23.583 --> 36:26.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% but for selfish as well as political reasons. 36:26.783 --> 36:29.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% He created the Church of England, 36:29.183 --> 36:30.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% with himself at its head. 36:30.617 --> 36:33.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% He dissolved the monastic orders, destroyed their abbeys, 36:33.850 --> 36:38.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% and appropriated the Catholic Church's vast land holdings. 36:38.317 --> 36:40.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% When Catholics rose up against him, 36:40.183 --> 36:44.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% Henry had the ringleaders hung, drawn, and quartered. 36:44.117 --> 36:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And his actions left Henry 36:45.617 --> 36:48.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% not only much richer and more powerful 36:48.050 --> 36:50.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% but free to divorce his barren wife 36:50.617 --> 36:52.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and marry his fertile young mistress. 36:52.850 --> 36:56.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% In Scotland, John Knox preached at the main church in Edinburgh, 36:56.717 --> 36:59.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% where he founded a separate protestant denomination, 36:59.683 --> 37:01.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% austere Scottish Presbyterianism. 37:01.883 --> 37:05.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Knox insisted that every person be able to read the word of God 37:05.650 --> 37:06.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% for themselves, 37:06.417 --> 37:09.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% which resulted in Scotland developing an education system 37:09.950 --> 37:11.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% centuries ahead of its time. 37:11.883 --> 37:16.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Not all reformers broke from the Church. 37:16.017 --> 37:19.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% The priest and philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam 37:19.650 --> 37:21.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% admired Luther's ideas 37:21.017 --> 37:24.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% on the importance of faith over good deeds. 37:24.350 --> 37:27.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Like Luther, he openly questioned the Church. 37:27.783 --> 37:30.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% But he proposed sweeping reforms from within. 37:30.950 --> 37:36.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Erasmus remained a priest and never left the Catholic Church. 37:37.617 --> 37:41.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% A Spanish soldier named Ignatius of Loyola 37:41.050 --> 37:42.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% had a spiritual conversion 37:42.617 --> 37:46.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% and spent a decade wandering Europe on a pilgrimage. 37:46.350 --> 37:48.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He eventually formed the Jesuits, 37:48.617 --> 37:49.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% a religious order whose mission 37:49.650 --> 37:53.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% was to be the intellectual warriors of the Church, 37:53.450 --> 37:56.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% battling both corruption within the Church 37:56.250 --> 37:59.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% and heresy outside the Church. 37:59.317 --> 38:00.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% During the early 1500s, 38:00.883 --> 38:03.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% new ideas were cross-pollinating throughout Europe. 38:03.850 --> 38:06.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Protestant reformers, Catholic reformers, 38:06.417 --> 38:10.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% humanists, and scientists were all reading each other's words. 38:10.717 --> 38:13.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was an exciting and confusing time. 38:13.650 --> 38:15.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Two powerful cultural movements -- 38:15.617 --> 38:17.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Reformation and the Renaissance -- 38:17.617 --> 38:20.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% were rushing together in a swirl of currents 38:20.417 --> 38:21.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% as history flowed on. 38:21.417 --> 38:26.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% All across Europe, the momentum seemed in favor of reformers. 38:26.983 --> 38:28.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% But the spread of the Reformation 38:28.617 --> 38:31.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% didn't happen without chaos and conflict. 38:31.617 --> 38:36.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% In many areas, there were violent uprisings. 38:39.017 --> 38:40.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% From Holland to Switzerland, 38:40.417 --> 38:43.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Protestant extremists vandalized Catholic churches. 38:43.317 --> 38:46.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% They attacked what they considered symbols of idol worship, 38:46.617 --> 38:49.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% forbidden by their interpretation of the Bible. 38:49.350 --> 38:52.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% These iconoclasts, as they were called, 38:52.283 --> 38:53.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% shattered stained-glass windows. 38:53.883 --> 38:55.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% They lopped off the stone heads of saints 38:55.817 --> 38:58.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and stripped gold-leaf angels from the walls. 38:58.850 --> 39:03.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% When Catholic cathedrals became Protestant churches, 39:03.050 --> 39:04.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% interiors were made simple, 39:04.683 --> 39:07.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% with dazzling images replaced by plain walls, 39:07.883 --> 39:10.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% pipe organs, and pulpits. 39:10.650 --> 39:12.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Organ plays ] 39:12.283 --> 39:15.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% For example, the biggest church in Switzerland, 39:15.350 --> 39:16.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Lausanne Cathedral, 39:16.450 --> 39:18.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% was originally Catholic and dedicated to Mary. 39:18.983 --> 39:22.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% But when the Reformation hit, Swiss reformers purged it, 39:22.983 --> 39:25.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% whitewashing colorfully frescoed walls, 39:25.783 --> 39:27.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% trashing stained-glass windows, 39:27.617 --> 39:30.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% and smashing statues of Mary and the saints. 39:30.717 --> 39:33.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Today, the church remains clean of images 39:33.617 --> 39:37.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% and dominated by its extravagant pipe organ. 39:37.250 --> 39:41.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Organ plays ] 39:41.517 --> 39:43.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Another example is the once Catholic, 39:43.350 --> 39:47.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% now Protestant main church of Haarlem in Holland. 39:47.617 --> 39:50.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% While now whitewashed in the Protestant fashion, 39:50.617 --> 39:54.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pillars reveal the decorative original frescoes 39:54.150 --> 39:55.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% that were covered up. 39:55.450 --> 39:59.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% The many gilded chapels dedicated to various saints 39:59.017 --> 40:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% were removed. 40:00.617 --> 40:03.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The towering pipe organ is a reminder that, 40:03.617 --> 40:04.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% for Protestants, 40:04.250 --> 40:08.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% music became more important than the visual arts. 40:08.250 --> 40:12.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Organ plays ] 40:12.150 --> 40:14.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% And pulpits became a prominent feature 40:14.783 --> 40:15.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% because of the Protestant emphasis 40:15.817 --> 40:22.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% of bringing the word of God directly to the people in their own language. 40:22.817 --> 40:25.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% In territories where Protestants dominated, 40:25.617 --> 40:28.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Catholics survived but went underground, 40:28.050 --> 40:31.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% forced to practice their faith in hidden churches. 40:31.583 --> 40:34.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% In generally Protestant Amsterdam, for example, 40:34.817 --> 40:37.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% this Catholic church kept a low profile, 40:37.883 --> 40:40.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% disguised as a townhouse. 40:40.717 --> 40:45.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Persecution of Catholics, along with the rise of Protestantism, 40:45.350 --> 40:49.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% was turning Catholics into a minority in Northern Europe. 40:49.050 --> 40:51.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% By the mid 1500s, the Roman Church 40:51.617 --> 40:56.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% employed a strategy for stemming the tide of reformation. 40:56.417 --> 40:59.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Vatican fought back with the Counter-Reformation, 40:59.417 --> 41:03.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% an attempt to put what was the universal Catholic Church 41:03.417 --> 41:04.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% back together. 41:04.450 --> 41:05.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% On one hand, the Church worked 41:05.650 --> 41:07.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% to reform its internal corruption 41:07.617 --> 41:09.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% and reach out to alienated members. 41:09.283 --> 41:12.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And on the other hand, the Church resorted to propaganda, 41:12.617 --> 41:15.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% intimidation, and outright force. 41:15.617 --> 41:17.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Art became a propaganda tool. 41:17.617 --> 41:20.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Extravagant Counter-Reformation art and architecture 41:20.850 --> 41:24.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% was designed to inspire the masses. 41:24.017 --> 41:25.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% Catholic churches dazzled 41:25.150 --> 41:28.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% with gold leaf and ornate decorations, 41:28.250 --> 41:29.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% offering a glimpse of the heaven 41:29.583 --> 41:33.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% that awaited those who remained faithful. 41:33.150 --> 41:35.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Counter-Reformation artists 41:35.017 --> 41:37.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% painted radiant, soft-focus Marys, 41:37.617 --> 41:39.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% sentimentally wrapping everything 41:39.517 --> 41:41.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% in warm colors and gentle light. 41:41.617 --> 41:47.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% This bubbly Baroque style of art featured large canvases... 41:47.283 --> 41:51.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% bright colors... 41:51.417 --> 41:55.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% rippling motion... 41:55.150 --> 41:57.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% wild emotions... 41:57.617 --> 41:59.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% grand themes... 41:59.450 --> 42:01.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% and holy saints. 42:01.650 --> 42:02.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It appealed to the senses 42:02.617 --> 42:05.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% and was popular with both peasants and nobles alike. 42:05.983 --> 42:11.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% It made heavenly visions real and stirred the emotions. 42:11.450 --> 42:13.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% This Baroque style remained popular 42:13.617 --> 42:18.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% in Catholic parts of Europe for generations. 42:19.017 --> 42:20.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Church's propaganda art 42:20.617 --> 42:23.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% could intimidate as well as inspire. 42:23.450 --> 42:26.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Worshippers saw images of God-fearing Catholics 42:26.850 --> 42:29.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% burning Protestant pamphlets, 42:29.517 --> 42:30.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% of defenders of the Church 42:30.883 --> 42:33.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% stepping on snakes representing heretics, 42:33.950 --> 42:39.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% and angry angel babies tearing out pages of Lutheran teaching. 42:39.117 --> 42:42.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% And the Counter-Reformation relied on an institution 42:42.417 --> 42:45.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% dating back to earlier times -- the Inquisition. 42:45.950 --> 42:51.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% It emanated from Spain at the imposing Palace of El Escorial. 42:51.350 --> 42:54.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% This full-scale, Church-run legal system 42:54.583 --> 42:57.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% brought Protestants, Jews, and nonconforming Catholics 42:57.983 --> 43:01.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% before its courts on the slightest evidence of heresy. 43:01.983 --> 43:04.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Those convicted would be punished, 43:04.583 --> 43:09.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% tortured, and, in many cases, executed. 43:11.950 --> 43:13.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Protestants responded with 43:13.617 --> 43:16.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% anti-Catholic propaganda of their own. 43:16.717 --> 43:17.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% In this painting, 43:17.450 --> 43:20.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% hanging in Luther's hometown church in Wittenberg, 43:20.150 --> 43:23.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% the reformers tend to "The Garden of the Lord." 43:23.617 --> 43:26.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther rakes, and his intellectual side-kick, 43:26.617 --> 43:28.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Melanchthon, pulls water from the well, 43:28.517 --> 43:32.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% symbolizing how the reformers went back to the original source 43:32.650 --> 43:34.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% to translate the Bible. 43:34.417 --> 43:36.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Meanwhile, the pope and his people 43:36.517 --> 43:39.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% trash all their careful spiritual gardening. 43:39.483 --> 43:42.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% Even though Jesus has given the pope a reward, 43:42.017 --> 43:45.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pope keeps his hand outstretched, asking for more. 43:45.883 --> 43:51.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% Looking on, the reformers pray reverently. 43:52.617 --> 43:55.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Other art was shockingly direct. 43:55.517 --> 43:55.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% In this etching, 43:55.950 --> 44:02.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% Protestants portray the pope as Satan himself. 44:02.183 --> 44:05.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% The whole era was intolerant to the extreme. 44:05.117 --> 44:07.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% Everyone was convinced their vision of God 44:07.583 --> 44:08.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% was the one and only way. 44:08.517 --> 44:12.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% And Luther was as conflicted and intolerant as his age. 44:12.050 --> 44:14.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% He came down hard on the Roman Church, 44:14.050 --> 44:19.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% on Protestants who disagreed, and particularly hard on Jews. 44:20.517 --> 44:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther was intolerant of Jews. 44:22.617 --> 44:24.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% He was angered that they wouldn't convert, 44:24.850 --> 44:26.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% which drove him, in his later years, 44:26.617 --> 44:30.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% to write hateful anti-Jewish essays. 44:31.050 --> 44:35.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% This prejudice was consistent with his general intolerance, 44:35.417 --> 44:38.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% as when he supported the killing of so many rampaging peasants 44:38.883 --> 44:41.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% who were threatening the social order. 44:41.617 --> 44:43.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And it was only a matter of time 44:43.617 --> 44:45.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% before this kind of bitter war of ideas 44:45.983 --> 44:49.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% would flare up into actual war. 44:51.583 --> 44:54.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Reformation and Counter-Reformation 44:54.250 --> 44:55.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% unleashed pent-up frustrations 44:55.950 --> 44:58.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% that transformed Europe into a battlefield 44:58.183 --> 44:59.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% for the next 100 years. 44:59.617 --> 45:01.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% The wars may have been called religious wars, 45:01.783 --> 45:05.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% but for the princes who ruled the many little German states, 45:05.317 --> 45:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% breaking with Rome, as with most religious wars, 45:08.617 --> 45:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% was also about power, money, and land. 45:11.617 --> 45:14.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Many German princes, like Luther's supporter 45:14.950 --> 45:16.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% Frederick the Wise at Wittenberg, 45:16.683 --> 45:20.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% saw the Roman church as an obstacle to greater power. 45:20.317 --> 45:25.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% And at great peril, many opted to split from the Roman Church 45:25.683 --> 45:30.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% to support Luther, even if that meant war. 45:33.617 --> 45:34.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% For a German prince, 45:34.717 --> 45:37.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% there were three big reasons to break from Rome -- 45:37.817 --> 45:39.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% First, by opposing the pope, 45:39.617 --> 45:42.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% princes could rule without meddling bishops, 45:42.517 --> 45:44.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% who were above secular laws. 45:44.183 --> 45:46.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Second, princes could hold onto tithes 45:46.617 --> 45:49.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% formerly sent to Rome and a huge drain on their economies. 45:49.517 --> 45:53.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% And third, the biggest landowner in their realm was the Church, 45:53.483 --> 45:55.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% and by joining forces with the Protestants, 45:55.683 --> 45:58.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% princes could confiscate Church lands. 45:58.417 --> 46:01.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% The strife Martin Luther had unwittingly unleashed 46:01.783 --> 46:03.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% led to a chaotic series of wars 46:03.617 --> 46:06.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% that would last more than a century. 46:06.250 --> 46:08.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% Throughout the 1500s, 46:08.317 --> 46:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Europe's princes and kings jockeyed for power, 46:11.617 --> 46:14.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% using religion as their excuse. 46:14.417 --> 46:16.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It culminated in a bloody free-for-all 46:16.617 --> 46:23.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% called the Thirty Years' War that raged from 1618 to 1648. 46:23.883 --> 46:26.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% While the war involved many countries, 46:26.283 --> 46:29.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% it was fought mainly on German soil. 46:29.183 --> 46:31.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Much of the battle gear, ramparts, 46:31.617 --> 46:35.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% and folkloric reenactments tourists see today in Germany 46:35.683 --> 46:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% dates from this war. 46:39.517 --> 46:41.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% Casualties were devastating, 46:41.050 --> 46:44.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% as a third of all Germans were killed. 46:44.150 --> 46:45.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% On the Catholic side, 46:45.250 --> 46:49.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% the pope was supported by the powerful holy Roman emperor. 46:49.017 --> 46:50.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% The emperor had Europe's leading army 46:50.950 --> 46:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and was more than willing to march into Germany 46:53.617 --> 46:55.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% and put down Protestants. 46:55.117 --> 46:59.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% As these wars, with a mix of political and religious agendas, 46:59.483 --> 47:01.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% raged across Europe, 47:01.117 --> 47:02.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% princes grabbed for power 47:02.583 --> 47:04.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% while the people violently sorted out 47:04.617 --> 47:08.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% their deep-seated religious frustrations. 47:08.717 --> 47:11.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% After literally millions of deaths, 47:11.283 --> 47:13.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% the devastation of entire regions, 47:13.717 --> 47:15.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% and wide-spread economic ruin, 47:15.950 --> 47:19.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% all involved were exhausted. 47:19.117 --> 47:22.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% In 1648, a treaty was finally signed. 47:22.050 --> 47:24.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% The result -- not religious freedom. 47:24.183 --> 47:25.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% But now the leaders of each country 47:25.883 --> 47:28.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% were free to decide if their subjects would be 47:28.050 --> 47:31.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% Roman Catholic Christian or Protestant Christian. 47:31.517 --> 47:33.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Western Europe was effectively divided 47:33.617 --> 47:36.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% between a Catholic south and a Protestant north, 47:36.617 --> 47:39.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% a line that roughly survives to this day. 47:39.717 --> 47:41.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% Europe had split into two camps. 47:41.817 --> 47:44.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% On one side was the Roman Catholic Church, 47:44.117 --> 47:46.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% those Christians who still recognized the pope. 47:46.983 --> 47:49.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% On the other side were the Protestants, 47:49.117 --> 47:50.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% or protesting Christians. 47:50.517 --> 47:53.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Of course, both Catholics and Protestants are Christians. 47:53.617 --> 47:56.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% But they have different styles and take different approaches. 47:56.817 --> 48:00.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% For Catholics, church rituals and an ordained clergy 48:00.350 --> 48:04.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% are essential intermediaries between a worshipper and God. 48:04.617 --> 48:09.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% They venerate saints and the Virgin Mary 48:09.483 --> 48:12.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and confess their sins to a priest. 48:12.617 --> 48:13.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% Catholics accept precedents 48:13.683 --> 48:16.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% established through the centuries by the Church 48:16.350 --> 48:20.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% and follow the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. 48:20.250 --> 48:22.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And they maintain a time-honored element 48:22.617 --> 48:25.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% of elaborate ritual and mysticism 48:25.150 --> 48:27.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% that enriches their religious experience. 48:27.950 --> 48:31.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% For Protestants, worship style became different. 48:31.983 --> 48:36.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% They purged their churches of holy relics, 48:36.483 --> 48:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% dispensed with many of the rituals, 48:38.617 --> 48:42.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and reduced the formal role of ordained clergy. 48:42.617 --> 48:45.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% Rather than appealing to saints and Mary, 48:45.183 --> 48:48.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Protestants emphasize their direct relationship with God 48:48.950 --> 48:52.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% through Bible study and personal prayer. 48:54.617 --> 48:55.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther rejected 48:55.450 --> 48:58.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% five of the Catholic Church's seven sacraments. 48:58.283 --> 49:01.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% He kept only holy communion and baptism. 49:01.683 --> 49:05.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Lutheran movement introduced two essential changes -- 49:05.617 --> 49:08.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% They believe, first, salvation is a gift from God. 49:08.983 --> 49:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's a matter of faith. You can't earn it. 49:11.617 --> 49:12.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% And second, the Bible 49:12.650 --> 49:15.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% is the only source of religious authority. 49:15.617 --> 49:18.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% After sparking such sweeping changes, 49:18.717 --> 49:19.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, in his later years, 49:19.717 --> 49:23.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% settled into a quiet life as a respected professor. 49:23.483 --> 49:26.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% But his life was never without surprises. 49:26.250 --> 49:29.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% One of the first things he did shocked everybody -- 49:29.617 --> 49:30.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He got married! 49:30.617 --> 49:33.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% 42-year-old Martin Luther, a former monk, 49:33.483 --> 49:36.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% married 26-year-old Katherine von Bora, 49:36.450 --> 49:37.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% a former nun. 49:37.583 --> 49:40.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin and Katie went on to have six children 49:40.483 --> 49:42.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% and raise four orphans. 49:42.117 --> 49:44.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Katie, who ran the huge and busy Luther household, 49:44.783 --> 49:47.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% was a welcome partner in Luther's circle. 49:47.617 --> 49:50.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther wrote, "Marriage is a better school 49:50.450 --> 49:52.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% for the character than any monastery, 49:52.483 --> 49:56.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% for it's here that your sharp corners are rubbed off." 49:56.583 --> 49:58.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther used his dining room table 49:58.417 --> 50:02.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% to host an ongoing social and intellectual jam session. 50:02.050 --> 50:05.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was where his students, houseguests, 50:05.117 --> 50:06.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% and fellow reformers gathered, 50:06.950 --> 50:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% drinking Katie's homebrewed beer 50:08.617 --> 50:12.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and eating the Luthers almost out of house and home. 50:12.850 --> 50:13.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% They'd spend long hours 50:13.983 --> 50:16.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% discussing and debating religious issues 50:16.350 --> 50:21.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% and applying their ideas concretely to everyday life. 50:22.717 --> 50:25.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's followers hung on his every word. 50:25.850 --> 50:26.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% His students took notes. 50:26.950 --> 50:30.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% And this anthology, which was printed in 1567, 50:30.850 --> 50:32.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% is called "Table Talk." 50:32.583 --> 50:34.417 position:10% line:50% size:80% It collects over 6,000 entries, 50:34.417 --> 50:38.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% from profound to vulgar and offensive to silly. 50:38.183 --> 50:41.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% "He who does not love wine, women, and song 50:41.317 --> 50:43.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% remains a fool his whole life long. 50:43.783 --> 50:46.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% What lies they tell about relics. 50:46.050 --> 50:49.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% How is it that 18 apostles are buried in Germany 50:49.950 --> 50:51.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% when Christ had only 12? 50:51.883 --> 50:54.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone 50:54.350 --> 50:58.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars." 50:58.617 --> 51:00.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther remained a complex man. 51:00.850 --> 51:02.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% He continued to struggle with depression. 51:02.983 --> 51:06.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% He could be crude, bombastic, and even bigoted, 51:06.283 --> 51:07.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% riddled with contradictions. 51:07.883 --> 51:10.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And he certainly enjoyed his beer. 51:10.617 --> 51:11.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Although he did warn, 51:11.617 --> 51:14.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% "It's better to think of church in the ale house 51:14.483 --> 51:17.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% than to think of the ale house in church." 51:17.483 --> 51:20.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther's earthy lifestyle reflects some of the spirit 51:20.617 --> 51:22.183 position:10% line:50% size:80% of what became the Lutheran Church, 51:22.183 --> 51:25.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% ideas which, back then, were quite radical. 51:25.017 --> 51:27.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% He affirmed dimensions of everyday life, 51:27.617 --> 51:28.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% such as marriage and the joy of sex, 51:28.850 --> 51:32.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% as good and important, provided they were carried out in faith. 51:32.817 --> 51:34.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% And pastors were free to marry. 51:34.617 --> 51:37.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% There was nothing in the Bible that said they couldn't. 51:37.950 --> 51:41.950 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther believed in what he called the priesthood of all believers. 51:41.950 --> 51:44.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% Whether a schoolteacher, a farmer, or a gardener, 51:44.983 --> 51:47.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% he believed all are equally capable 51:47.350 --> 51:48.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% of understanding God's word 51:48.283 --> 51:52.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% and can receive salvation without the help of intermediaries. 51:52.483 --> 51:56.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Because literacy was crucial to reading the Bible, 51:56.350 --> 51:57.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther lobbied Germany's nobles 51:57.783 --> 52:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% to provide schools for all boys and girls. 52:00.617 --> 52:05.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% And Luther loved music, which he figured the devil hated. 52:05.017 --> 52:07.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% In perhaps his deepest depression, 52:07.017 --> 52:10.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther wrote one of Christendom's greatest hymns, 52:10.617 --> 52:12.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% "A Mighty Fortress." 52:12.317 --> 52:13.517 position:10% line:50% size:80% He composed many other hymns 52:13.517 --> 52:17.483 position:10% line:50% size:80% that put the basic elements of Christian worship into song. 52:17.483 --> 52:21.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% To this day, Protestant churches are particularly alive 52:21.583 --> 52:24.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% with great organs and choral music. 52:24.117 --> 52:27.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther, who believed, "He who sings prays double", 52:27.617 --> 52:28.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% would have enjoyed the singing 52:28.617 --> 52:30.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% of the visiting Dresden Boys choir 52:30.617 --> 52:35.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% as they performed in his hometown church in Wittenberg. 52:36.617 --> 52:39.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% Luther died in 1546 at age 62. 52:39.717 --> 52:42.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% A massive funeral procession accompanied his body 52:42.717 --> 52:45.050 position:10% line:50% size:80% to the Castle Church in Wittenberg, 52:45.050 --> 52:46.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% where he's buried. 52:46.017 --> 52:49.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% To this day, pilgrims bring flowers. 52:49.617 --> 52:52.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% [ Choir singing ] 52:56.883 --> 53:00.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% After Luther's death, until the dawn of the 20th century, 53:00.617 --> 53:02.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% the Reformation helped open the way 53:02.283 --> 53:04.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% for fundamental changes in Western society. 53:04.650 --> 53:08.317 position:10% line:50% size:80% With a less controlling role of the Church in everyday life, 53:08.317 --> 53:10.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% secular forces were free to flourish. 53:10.717 --> 53:15.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Secular thinking, including science, would thrive. 53:15.617 --> 53:17.250 position:10% line:50% size:80% Literacy increased across Europe 53:17.250 --> 53:19.983 position:10% line:50% size:80% as people had the freedom to read the Bible. 53:19.983 --> 53:23.350 position:10% line:50% size:80% Free-market capitalism thrived in northern Europe, 53:23.350 --> 53:25.583 position:10% line:50% size:80% fueled by the Protestant work ethic. 53:25.583 --> 53:29.150 position:10% line:50% size:80% Non-religious, secular arts were able to flourish. 53:29.150 --> 53:31.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% And, eventually, a democratic spirit was kindled 53:31.683 --> 53:34.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% as people were emboldened to stand up to power, 53:34.783 --> 53:36.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% and there was a greater separation 53:36.850 --> 53:38.783 position:10% line:50% size:80% between church and state. 53:38.783 --> 53:41.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% For most of the 500 years since the Reformation, 53:41.617 --> 53:45.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% relations between Catholics and Protestants have been troubled. 53:45.617 --> 53:49.017 position:10% line:50% size:80% But there was one lesson Europe learned the hard way -- 53:49.017 --> 53:50.117 position:10% line:50% size:80% tolerance. 53:50.117 --> 53:52.817 position:10% line:50% size:80% And in our lifetime, huge strides have been made. 53:52.817 --> 53:56.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% More than ever, Protestants and Catholics are coming together 53:56.617 --> 53:59.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% and see themselves merely as different expressions 53:59.717 --> 54:01.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% of the same faith. 54:01.450 --> 54:04.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Reformation was more than a religious event. 54:04.617 --> 54:08.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% It was part of the societal weave we call progress. 54:08.617 --> 54:10.650 position:10% line:50% size:80% And progress comes out of struggle -- 54:10.650 --> 54:14.850 position:10% line:50% size:80% religious freedom grew out of the Protestant Reformation, 54:14.850 --> 54:18.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% political freedom came out of the French Revolution, 54:18.617 --> 54:23.683 position:10% line:50% size:80% and personal freedom is the cry of the civil rights movement 54:23.683 --> 54:25.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% in our age. 54:25.283 --> 54:30.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% It's all hard-earned. It's not always pretty. 54:30.283 --> 54:33.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% But it is worth the trouble. 54:35.883 --> 54:38.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% Martin Luther was a pivotal character in history 54:38.617 --> 54:40.883 position:10% line:50% size:80% who stood up for what he believed. 54:40.883 --> 54:42.283 position:10% line:50% size:80% The Reformation he unleashed 54:42.283 --> 54:44.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% helped create a more tolerant society 54:44.717 --> 54:46.617 position:10% line:50% size:80% that eventually allowed diversity 54:46.617 --> 54:49.717 position:10% line:50% size:80% in how people strive to better understand God. 54:49.717 --> 54:53.450 position:10% line:50% size:80% I'm Rick Steves. Thanks for joining us.