The Protestant Reformation, begun 1517 with the nailing of Martin Luther's 95 theses to a church door in Wittenberg, divided the Roman Catholic Church and created the Protestant branch of churches. The Protestant Reformation was a movement which emerged in the 16th century as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. ... Events January 22 - Battle of Ridanieh. ... Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). ... The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, known as the 95 Theses, challenged the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of indulgences. ... Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is a town in Germany, in the Bundesland Saxony-Anhalt, at 12°59 east, 51°51 north. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ...

There were a number of key reformers within the movement, including:

• Martin Luther
• Huldrych Zwingli
• John Calvin
• Menno Simons
• Philipp Melanchthon
• William Farel
• John Knox
• Thomas Müntzer
• Carlstadt

There were also a number of people who contributed to the development of the Reformation, but lived before it, including: Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (January 1, 1484 – October 10, 1531) was the leader of the Swiss Reformation and founder of the Swiss Reformed Churches. ... John Calvin John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) was a prominent Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation and is the namesake of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism. ... Menno Simons (1496-1561) was an Anabaptist religious leader from the province of Fryslân (today Netherlands and Germany). ... Portrait of Philipp Melanchthon, by Lucas Cranach the Elder. ... Categories: Stub | 1489 births | 1565 deaths | French theologians | Reformed theologians ... John Knox (1513 or 1514? to 1572) was a Scottish religious reformer who founded the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. ... Thomas Müntzer, in a 18th century engraving by C. Van Sichem Thomas Muentzer (or Müntzer, Münzer) (1489 or 1490–27 May 1525) was an early Reformation-era German pastor who was a rebel leader during the Peasants War. ...

• Jan Hus
• William Tyndale
• John Wycliffe

Catholics who worked against the Reformation include: Renaissance portrait of Jan Hus Jan Hus (1369 Husinec, Southern Bohemia – July 6, 1415 Constance) was a religious thinker and reformer. ... William Tyndale (sometimes spelled Tindale) (ca. ... Wycliffe may also refer to Wycliffe Bible Translators John Wyclif (or Wycliffe) (1328 - December 31, 1384) was an English theologian and early proponent of reform in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. ...

• Pope Leo X
• John Tetzel
• Johann Eck