On 31 October 1517 Martin Luther, a professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, sent a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, Albert of Brandenburg. The letter Luther had written to the archbishop consisted of a series of statements (or theses) that Luther presented as arguments to be debated (or disputed) by fellow theologians. Luther was also supposed to have written another identical letter that he nailed to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg in November. These 95 theses challenged various practices and doctrines supported by the official Catholic Church at the time, in particular the selling of indulgences. Luther hoped to reform the Catholic faith, but instead he established a separate one.
An extract from a book by the historian D. Wilson (The English Reformation):
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