Before 1517, the abuses of the Catholic Church had already been brought to light. John Wyclif, an English theologian, told the Church to stop worrying about wealth as well as power and instead focus on people living in poverty. He continued to attack the Church by translating the Bible into English so that as many people as possible could interpret it. Jan Hus, a Bohemian theologian, denounced abuses by priests and was soon burned at the stake after sharing his philosophy at the Council of Constance. Thanks to these two men, people began to question the Church and think individually. People began to look at literature themselves and interpret it independently of the Church. In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, for all to see. People began to support and join Martin Luther's fight against the Church. Martin Luther may appear to be a pivotal figure, but he was driven by ideas from the past that laid the foundation for his opposition. Although Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses helped launch the Protestant Reformation, the real driving force behind the Reformation was that people began to believe in their own ideas while questioning all institutions of leadership, both both politically and religiously. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The Troubles of Desire for Power within the Papacy of the Catholic Church as well as the Race for Money The Church through deception helped to support the opposition against the Church. For example, the Great Schism occurred approximately 100 years before the Protestant Reformation and highlighted the struggle for power within the Catholic Church. In response to the election of an Italian pope, the French elected their own pope. Soon both popes excommunicated themselves. These unrest within the Church divided Catholic loyalties and highlighted the Church's bitter political competition. Additionally, people were beginning to realize the economic abuses committed by the Church. The Church tricked people into buying indulgences in order to make money. Indulgences were documents that reduced the waiting time in purgatory. They were granted by Pope Urban II in 1095 so that the Church could construct lavish buildings and support the magnificent lifestyle of the papal court. The Church didn't really care about the people and deceived them to make a lot of money for selfish reasons. These abuses led to the loss of respect for the Catholic Church. It can be seen that it was only a matter of time before people separated from the Church after seeing the political and economic turmoil of the Catholic Church. Additionally, people wanted to retain their own power rather than submit to royal authorities. For example, the French Valois dynasty suppressed the power of the nobles. Louis XI tricked the vassals into turning against each other, which helped him limit the strength of the nobles. He ended the feudal system using force and political power. Following Louis XI, King Francis I helped establish the Concordat of Bologna with Pope Leo This overwhelming power shows the Church's influence on people to follow the king through the king's appointments. Once the nobles realized that their power was becoming useless and the authorities were becoming overwhelming, they found Martin Luther as a way to end the "universal monarchy" while still retaining their power...