AP European History
Last Updated on September 27, 2018
The Reformation was started by a man named Martin Luther who was dissatisfied with the corruption of the Catholic Church. By nailing his 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, Martin Luther set off a chain reaction that would lead to the creation of the Lutheran Church and other protestant faiths like Calvinism and Zwinglism. The Catholic Church launched a counter-reformation, as seen in the Council of Trent. However, its attempts were too late; the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism would go on to fuel major conflicts such as the 30 years’ war.