HIST 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Johann Tetzel, Pope Leo X, Excommunication
Document Summary
If excommunicated, ppl couldn"t get married, confirmed, funeral service, etc: rulers worked hard to get their favored candidate chosen pope (after pope died) Situation of catholic church: powerful (on all social levels, wealthy (owned vast amts of land; all untaxed, influential (got involved in secular matter, pervasive (affects all aspects of life) Reformation: martin luther (1483-1546, augustinian monk in saxony (part of the holy roman empire, invited to teach theology @ university of wittenberg, luther objected johann tetzel, a dominican selling indulgences for pope leo x. Indulgences: money donated to the church that would lessen temporal punishment of confessed sins. Tetzel believed you could pay indulgences for deceased relatives (not a. Idea became pop among ppl: luther believed church was turning corrupt and had too much money that wasn"t used appropriately/didn"t need, excommunicated by pope and declared heretic (religious dissenter, luther"s 95 theses. Story goes that luther nailed his theses to door @ university of wittenberg.
