A Surprising Revelation! Protestant Reformation came to the fore in the early 16th century in Germany, triggered by one man, Martin Luther, who stood against all odds and triggered a worldwide movement by campaigning a protest against the malpractices and corruption in the church. A surprising outcome was the revolution of art that produced masterpieces like Noli me tangere, a relatively rare Protestant oil painting of Christ by Hans Holbein the Younger and Cranach the Elder's Altar piece in Wittenburg.

The Protestant Reformation was sparked off in 1517, by a German Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, when he pasted 95 theses on a church door in the university town of Wittenberg, inviting a debate. These theses were his concerns on the sale of indulgences prevalent at that time. It was a practice granted by Pope Leo X to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. As per this practice, the church acknowledged a donation or any charitable deed with a paper (an indulgence) certifying that the soul would enter the gates of heaven quicker with a reduced time in purgatory. Although Martin Luther had hoped for renewal from within the church, in 1521, he was summoned before the Holy Roman Emperor in the German city of Worms and asked to disavow his writings. When he refused, he was excommunicated. After being excommunicated, Luther, along with other reformers, turned to the Bible as their only source of instruction. The invention of the printing press, combined with the translation of the Bible into different languages, made it accessible to all the people who could read it. Earlier, the Bible was written only in Latin (ancient language of Rome) which was chiefly used only by the clergy. This gave people an opportunity to connect to God. When Luther and other reformers looked up the word in the Bible, they found that many of the practices and teachings of the Church didn't match Christ's teachings. This included many of the Sacraments, Attaining Salvation, Holy Communion (Eucharist). As the hope of renewal from within the Roman church dwindled, the "protestants" were forced to separate from Roman Catholicism, resulting in the birth of Lutheran churches in Germany, Scandinavia, Scotland, and portions of France, the Reformed churches in Switzerland and the Netherlands, Presbyterian churches in Scotland, and the Anglican church in England, and many other current denominations. The British Reformation was triggered by King Henry VIII, and his fixation to beget a male heir. He was refused permission by Pope Clement VI to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, so he could marry Anne Boleyn. Henry's desire for a divorce along with political gains of the members of his court were successful in diffusing the power of the Catholic church in England. In 1534, King Henry VIII brought about "The Supreme Act" which declared the king and his successors as the Head of the Church of England. The Reformation also facilitated the power-hungry rulers of Europe who were anxious to take the opportunity offered by it to diffuse the power of the Papal Office. Thus increasing their own supremacy as compared to the Church in Rome and other rulers. They also manipulated the movement in order to gain control of the valuable church property.

The Protestant Reformation divided the Christians mainly into the Catholics and the Protestants. However, the consequences of the Protestant Reformation were more political than religious. The aftermath of the Reformation brought about deep, lasting political and religious changes. Northern Europe's new religious and political freedoms came at a great price, with wars, persecutions, and rebellions playing a major role When the Reformation spread through Germany, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Emperor considered it his duty to protect the dominion of the Roman Catholic Church; however, the German princes saw the reformation as an opportunity to break away from the Emperor's control by associating themselves with it. This triggered a number of wars in Europe―the Wars of Religion and the Thirty-Year War―which were both political and religious in nature. The Wars of Religion ended with the Peace of Augsburg Treaty. The Thirty-Year War began as a religious conflict but, by 1630, the political motive overtook the religious one. The war ended in 1648, in turn ending the age of the Reformation. Along with dividing the church, the Reformation also gave rise to reforms within the Catholic Church, thus affirming the doctrine and structure of the Catholic Church. In 1545, the leaders of the Catholic Church congregated in the Italian city of Trent for an emergency conference, their aim was to reclaim the superiority of the church. After 20 years of debate, the Council of Trent laid the groundwork for reforms in the Catholic Church, by laying down decrees governing the celibacy of priests, establishing of a seminary for their theological studies, duties and quality of the clergy among the other things.