•sixteenth century Europe, capitalism, its early form of merchant capital, was begining to struggle against all old fetters of feudalism.
~ Por the emerging tew class of capitalists - the rising bourgeoisie DOWCL OI the 181 6)10 Church was suffocating. The Church huge areas d. preventing the exTion of capitalism inthe countryside and nhibiting the forced ovement OI peasants fom the land to become rkets in the towns.
* hrough LACO and e sales of indulgences pieces ot paper which clally forgave sins -Church enriched *al tne expense oi people. became rand despised by the impoverished vand the progressive bourgeoisie.
This situation provoked a movement that challenged the power of Rome — the demand for 'reformation' al vsc within and outside the Church.
The rumblings of discontent wilh KOinf WCIC given dramatic focus by the actions of Martin Luther, a dissident Catholic monk. In The nailed his 'theses' against the sale of indulgerices to the door of the church in Wittenburg. Luther particularly attacked the 'misuse of induigences by a 'star' seller, Tetzel, who was operating in the nearby town of Juterborg.
Luther's action detonated an explosion.
Line terment or lne déveloping Reformation gave rise to currents of a' much more democratic 980.* SeVOIROIKIM
Strauss