Explain the role of Martin Luther …

The Protestant Reformation movement arose in Europe in reaction to the abuses of privilege by the Catholic church. For centuries, the Catholic church had acquired a monopoly over religion in Europe. As a result, it had become highly corrupt. Church officials used to extract money from the common people of Europe through taxes and other means like the sale of indulgences and used this money to live a life of luxury. The Catholic church had moved far away from the ideals of Jesus of living a life of poverty and dedication to the service of the people.
The Protestant reformation arose in 1517 when Martin Luther published his criticism of the Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther was a priest but wanted the Church to restore itself to the original ideals of Christianity. He wanted to reduce the importance of rites and rituals in church worship and establish a direct contact between the people and God. The movement attracted the support of various German princes who desired independence from the Pope. Soon, protestant churches emerged in Germany and spread to other Northern European countries like England, Scotland, Netherlands and Switzerland.