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Throughout medieval times there have been multiple accounts of decline such as morals, corruption, inflation, and increase in military spending. With corruption being an important role during this time period one might not think about where the largest scandals were actually taking place. Believe it or not the most corrupted place was hiding right in plane sight, a place where people felt safe and went to during difficult times. This was a place with strong morals where people preached the Bible and Christs’ teachings. The Catholic Church,? one might ask. Shockingly yes, the Roman Catholic Church was indeed a participant in the corruption in this time period. Due to this there were many serious problems that arose in the late medieval Catholic Church that led to conflicts between reformers and the church institution. However, a brave man and a theologian named Martin Luther made a smart decision to out the Catholic Church and the office of the pope with the support of his followers.
An indulgence was a special remission of penitential obligation that could only be earned by demanding spiritual exercise, such as joining a crusade. However, they would soon be up for sale towards the end of the fifteenth century (Cole 345). People quickly picked up on this non-moral practice which seemed like heresy or simony which is the sin of exchanging God’s grace for cash, which was exactly what it was turning into. Reformers like Erasmus were the majority of citizens who began to strongly criticize the selling of indulgences after finding out more about the corruption. At first, Luther and the reformers had an idea about the corruption going on in the Church but didn’t have enough efficient evidence to move forward. Due to this Luther kept his ideas in a small academic setting up until 1517 when he found the opportunity to attack the practice. The world bishop Albert of Hohenzollern, youngest brother of the prince of Brandenburg, paid a large sum of papal permission to hold the lucrative bishoprics of Magdeburg and Halberstadt concurrently, even though he wasn’t old enough to be bishop whatsoever (Cole 345). The following year the archbishopric of Mainz went vacant and Albert bought that as well and got the amount needed after taking out loans from a banking firm. After getting the money he then made a deal with Pope Leo X where Leo would allow the sale of indulgences in Albert’s territory which was also where Luther lived. The understanding was that half of the income would go to Rome for the building of St. Peter’s Basilica and the other half would go to Albert himself (Cole 346).
Coincidently, the corruption of indulgences was now taking place right under Luther’s nose. Now having the advantage he could decide on what to do next, however, Luther did not know the full details of Albert’s devious scheme but he did know a crucial piece of evidence. A Dominican friar by the name of Tetzel was beginning to give out indulgences throughout much of the region. This started to give people the idea that these indulgences were an automatic passage to heaven for ones in purgatory and Luther took much offense to this. Tetzel was going against Luthers belief that one is saved by God’s grace and he was making people believe that if they bought an indulgence they wouldn’t have to confess their sins. This was putting innocent souls at risk and Tetzel was to blame.
However, Luther had something up his sleeve that would soon make an impact on everything. The 95 theses were created by Luther and would focus on putting an end to the doctrine of indulgences, published in Latin and German. Tetzel and his powerful allies became infuriated and demanded that he withdraw his theses, making Luther even more bolder. At a public even in 1519 Martin Luther made a strong statement. In front of everyone he spoke about how the pope and the clerics were fallible men and that the highest authority for an individuals conscience was the truth of the scripture (Cole 346). On year later, Luther put together his most powerful piece work. It was made up of pamphlets that set forth his three main premises. These premises were justification by faith, the authority of scripture, and “the priesthood of all believers.” These premises eventually led to many practical consequences. He believed that because these works couldn’t lead to salvation fast, pilgrimages, and veneration of relics should be considered of no value.
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