The beginning of the end of Catholicism’s position as the solitary Christian faith came about relatively swiftly in the grand scheme of history, between two and three hundred years. The end, however is said to have been triggered by a few specific events: the great scandals of the church in the fourteenth century, Luther’s ninety-five theses in the early fifteen-hundreds, and the teachings of other clergy and laymen against practices in the Catholic church falling in between.

There were two scandals in the church during the thirteen hundreds. The Babylonian captivity occurred during the seventy year period in which the pope was French rather than Roman. There were disputes over who was corrupting the office of the pope and where the papacy should be. After events led to the pope’s death in Rome in 1378, Rome elected a new pope, as did the French. Another pope was elected by the Church council, bringing the total to three. This series of events and the division of the church that followed is known as the Great Schism. It was finally resolved when all three popes were forced to resign and the church council elected a new Roman pope who all nations were forced to accept. These events helped to illustrate that the church, in many cases, had little religious concerns, but cared primarily about power and wealth. This was also illustrated by the clergy’s vast estates and incredible wealth gained from tithes and tax exemptions. The church was, perhaps, one of the most worldly institutions in the world. This was observed by the common people and turned many people away from Catholicism.

Later, in 1517, Martin Luther issued a challenge to a member of the clergy named Johann Tetzell who was selling indulgences outside of Luther’s home near the University of Wittenberg. He nailed what was to be called the ninety-five theses to the door of Wittenberg castle. They were ninety-five questioned which Martin Luther wished to debate. The debate never occurred and the theses were printed and distributed throughout Europe. Luther was made to defend his criticisms, which he continued to expand upon. In 1520, Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X. The following year, Luther was exiled. He won the support of many of the common people with his teachings of salvation by faith and individual commitment and that the Bible was the only true guide for the life of Christians. He spent the remainder of his life translating the New Testament into German in Saxony. Luther inadvertently became the leader of what was to be known as the Protestant movement.

In between these great events came the lives and teachings of many other Christian clergy, lay teachers, and other reformers. These reformers, most of whom were considered heretics, taught on different levels. Some, like John Wycliffe, questioned the spiritual authority of the church and taught that the sacraments and clergy were not necessary for salvation. Others, such as Erasamus, who wrote Praise of Folly, found no problem with the beliefs of the church, but only believed that the teachings of Jesus should come before the rituals of the services. The one common thread that ran through the reformists was the criticism of the church on its worldly actions. Teachers such as Huss and Savanalla approached this to different extremes, but both attacked the issue.

Through every comprehensible reason for the Protestant movement, I believe the most important to be the great scandals of the church, specifically the Great Schism. I believe that this illustrated the fickleness of the church and the ulterior motives of the clergy. It was an event of international interest and did not go unnoticed by the lowliest peasant. The extravagant lives and worldliness of the church and its keepers were, ironically, triggers to the end on an era- that of Catholic domination.