Final answer:
Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Church in January 1521, a decisive event in the Protestant Reformation. His 95 Theses, challenging the Catholic Church's practices, and refusal to recant at the Diet of Worms led to this outcome.
Step-by-step explanation:
Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Church in January 1521. This act marked a pivotal moment in the Protestant Reformation.
Luther, initially wanting to initiate reform within the Catholic Church, wrote and posted his 95 Theses in 1517. These theses criticized practices such as selling indulgences and questioned the authority of the pope. His actions led to his excommunication after he refused to recant his writings at the Diet of Worms. The fallout of his excommunication was significant, as it did not quell the unrest but rather, sparked Protestant sects throughout Europe. Luther's translation of the Bible into German and his prolific writing, often with the help of the printing press, ensured that his ideas spread quickly and took root.