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Even though the Roman Catholic Church dominated religious life in Europe beginning in the 10th century, it did not meet with universal approval. Over the centuries, rulers, scholars and some members of the clergy were critical of church practices despite many important church reforms. With the advent of the Renaissance and the invention of the printing press, new forces began to weaken church authority. Additionally, the new wealthy merchant class resented paying church taxes to Rome, and rulers were less willing to have the pope exert power over them. These were the social and political conditions that existed when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the All Saints’ Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517.

Front door of church behind a gate.

Martin Luther posted his 95 These on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.

Image Credit: Jost Tauchen via Wikimedia Commonsopens in new window, CC BY-SA 3.0


Read the passage below about Martin Luther.

After reading the excerpt, watch this video that takes you through the processes of identifying the author’s central idea or claim and citing evidence used in the text to support the claim.

Identifying the Central Idea of Text

> Text version for video

In the text about Martin Luther, there was one central idea. However, it is important to note that in many texts, it is necessary to identify the central idea in each paragraph and combine these central ideas to discover the central ideas for the entire passage or document. You will practice this skill later in the module.