In 1517 Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk posted 95 theses on the church doors in the town of Wittenberg. This challenged some portions of Roman Catholic Church. Luther believed the Pope should not have ultimate authority. He believed the Bible should have authority. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Henry VIII all challenged
papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church's ability to define Christian practice. They demanded religious and political redistribution of the power of the Bible. The distribution triggered wars, persecutions, and the Counter-Reformation. The Catholic Counter-Reformation rejected the criticisms of art in Rome to produces a more demanding style of Catholic art. The Protestants embraced Protestant values. Artists in Protestant countries took on forms of art like history painting, landscape painting, portrait painting and still life.
In conclusion, the Protestant Reformation was a huge turning point in the 16th-Century. The Reformation made the Roman Catholic Church known throughout the world, triggered religious wars in Europe, started Jewish migration to eastern Europe, stabilized the German language, and helped us understand the history of Europe.