Final answer:
Martin Luther and Henry VIII's dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church led to the Protestant Reformation, with Luther criticizing church practices like the sale of indulgences and Henry VIII establishing the Church of England after being denied a divorce.
Step-by-step explanation:
Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation
Both Martin Luther and Henry VIII exhibited dissatisfaction with the Catholic Church, leading to significant religious transformations. Martin Luther, a German monk, initiated the Protestant Reformation in 1517 by posting The Ninety-Five Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, criticizing the sale of indulgences and calling for reform in the church. He proposed that faith alone was needed for salvation and that scripture was the only legitimate source of Christian authority. His calls for reform, such as publishing the Bible in vernacular language and denouncing church-imposed tithes, led to the formation of Lutheranism and a split in the Church. Henry VIII's reformation in England was triggered when he sought to divorce Catherine of Aragon, which was denied by the pope, leading him to reject the pope's authority and establish the Church of England.
Luther's radical ideas included a belief that the Catholic Church and the Papacy had become corrupt and needed to be re-established on the basis of Christian teachings, rather than merely reformed. While Luther's intentions were to reform the Catholic Church from within, his movement unintentionally led to a new branch of Christianity—Protestantism—which gave rise to various Protestant sects across Europe, influencing religious practices and causing significant political and social changes.