Martin Luther was one of the most influential people of the Middle Ages. His 16th-Century condemnation of Catholic Church practices led to the the Protestant Reformation, the creation of new religions, and Church reform.

He was born on Nov. 10, 1483, in Eisleben, Saxony, in what was then the Holy Roman Empire and is now eastern Germany. His father was Hans Luther, and his mother was Margarette Luther. Not long after Martin was born, his family moved to Mansfeld, a town known for mining. Hans Luther was a well known miner and smelter and also, in Mansfeld, served on the town council.

Young Martin started school when he was 7. He switched to a school in Magdeburg when he was 14 and then, after one year there, enrolled in a school in Eisenach. He learned not only Latin but also grammar, rhetoric, and logic. He furthered his studies by enrolling in the University of Erfurt in 1501, with the goal of becoming a lawyer. It was his father's goal, not necessarily Martin's goal. Nonetheless, he received his master's degree in 1505 and then, even though he was more interested in philosophy and theology, entered law school.

It was on July 2, 1505 that the first significant religious event of Martin Luther's life occurred. He was riding on a horse near the village of Stotternheim when got caught in a very dangerous thunderstorm. After a bolt of lightning struck very near him, he, in desperation, shouted out a promise to St. Anna, the patron saint of miners, that he would become a monk if he survived. He did, in fact, avoid death in the terrible storm and then kept his promise, reporting to St. Augustine's Monastery in Erfurt on July 17. His father was none too pleased at hearing the news.

Luther was 22 when he entered that monastery. He went about his monk duties, struggling to achieve the sort of enlightenment that he had sought. His doubts deepened in 1510, after he witnessed corrupt practices of some priests while attending a Catholic Church conference in Rome.

Returning to Germany, he decided to pursue further study, enrolling in the University of Wittenberg. He received his doctorate in 1512 and then became a professor of theology there. It was in that capacity that he would fundamentally change religious life in Europe.

Pope Leo X had begun as head of the Catholic Church in 1513. He had inherited a large amount of expenses, including a rather expensive plan to build St. Peter's Basilica. One way that the Church decided to help raise money for such projects was the sale of indulgences. The pope and other Church leaders were in the habit of doling out penance to people who had admitted to committing sins; the amount and/or severity of the penance usually corresponded to the severity of the sin. At this time, however, the pope declared that people could make a monetary contribution to Church coffers and have their penances reduced or even waived.

The pope sent a Dominican friar named John Tetzel to German lands in 1516, to sell such indulgences. Tetzel had rather a large amount of success at raising such funds for the Church. A saying often attributed to him is, "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." In other words, people could buy their way out of having to do penance and, they hoped, get to heaven all the more quickly.

An indulgence was not solely a monetary payment. People could do good works as a form of indulgence as well. This was in line with long established Church doctrine, that a person should do good in order to be worthy of entrance into heaven. Church elders grounded their doctrine in words from the Bible itself, notably in the writings of the Apostle James.

On this point, Luther eventually disagreed. Through careful and considerable study, he became convinced that faith in the Christian God through Jesus was enough for a person to be blessed by God. This was the idea of sola fide (faith alone). This, too, was a doctrine grounded in the words of the Bible, notably in the writings of the Apostle Paul.

As well, Luther wholeheartedly objected to the practice of indulgences as a way to reduce or eliminate penance. He believed that God alone had the power to forgive people's sins.

Many before, during, and after Luther's time had disagreed with teachings of the Catholic Church. Luther did something about it.

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