Indulgences were "fundraisers" where you give money and the more money you give; there would be more of a chance for you to get into heaven. These indulgences were heavily abused and Luther hated them. His 95 theses were a list of questions and propositions for debate. (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”, 2009) An indulgence was made for the rebuilding of St. Peters Basilica, which made Luther mad, and legend says he nailed his 95 theses to the doors of the university’s chapel door (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”, 2009) “The 95 Theses, which would later become the foundation of the Protestant Reformation, were written in a remarkably humble and academic tone, questioning rather than accusing. The overall thrust of the document was nonetheless quite provocative.” (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”, 2009) Luther added that if the pope is so wealthy, then why didn’t he build St Peters himself instead of using the poor believer’s money. (“Martin Luther and the 95 Theses”, 2009)
Luther used a printing press to print his theses and convey his message to everyone in Germany. Without it, he may not have even gotten the word around and Protestantism wouldn’t have started up at that time or even start at