The Protestant Reformation

     The Protestant Reformation transformed European society, culture, and politics in many ways.  As said in the book, it expressed a variety of political, economic, social tensions, and religious differences.  Martin Luther started the Ninety Five Theses which dramatically changed the mind set and rebel against the Catholic Church.  It is remarkable how one mans word changed and started this conflict between the Protestant and Catholics.  It peaks my curiosity to learn about the Protestant religion and how it differs from the Catholic beliefs because I am a Catholic myself.  The Protestant reformation brought awareness to many of the people and questioned the social order and the ways of the Pope.  I guess if I lived in that time period and I was classified in the lower ranking, it would make me question as well in regards to the authority of the Pope and social order since money paid his luxurious life style, but then again being a woman would not benefit being a Protestant for there would not be options other than marriage.  This dispute went on until the Peace of Westphalia which brought it to an end and motivated the Catholic Counter-Reformation which renewed the Catholic Church.