In 1517, Martin Luther challenged the Catholic Church, and ultimately altered the course of European history, when he nailed his "95 Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences" on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. At the time, Renaissance humanists were beginning to oppose the reign of the Church and the wealth it accrued from taxes and the sale of Indulgences to the people. A monk and a scholar, Luther intended to promote independent...