Aina Ikhwan10th gradeModern World HistoryMrs. RamplingRenaissance: The corrupt Italian Renaissance era followed shortly after the Middle Ages. It was the time of the discovery and rebirth of a new age, known as the Golden Age. The Renaissance witnessed great discoveries, explorations and inventions. This era was ushered in by the birth of the philosophy of humanism, which highlighted the importance of individual achievement in a wide range of areas. However, she also had a dark side, full of corruption, greed and scandal. Before, most Europeans placed great importance on God and religion, but during the Renaissance, some began to think about the importance of individuals as well. These thinkers were called humanists. Despite this, people have twisted this idea to their advantage. Such words to describe them are selfish and self-centered. The already corrupt papacy reached its crucial peak during the reign of Pope Alexander VI, who abused his power within the Church. He was a pope determined to triumph politically and materially. It was no secret that Cesare, his son, was a murderer and had killed many of his political opponents. As pope, they benefit from exceptional privileges. Pope Leo X used nepotism to secure his position as pope. He also depleted the papal treasury with his extravagant lifestyle and projects. To free himself from his debts, Leo granted indulgences to those who paid the church (to forgive their sins, thus saving them from God's punishment). On top of that, not only was the papacy corrupt, but so were the rulers. The rulers used many different methods, such as diplomatic marriages and Machiavellian acts, to secure their dominance over the region. To answer if it is better to be in the middle of paper......The Church manages or censors what is written. Productions of secular material such as propaganda cause serious conflicts between Lutherans and the Catholic Church. Martin Luther's original intention was to oppose the practice of selling indulgences, but this was rejected by the Church. Luther said in his 95 Theses, number 20: “Thus, those preachers of indulgence are in error who say that a man is absolved from all penalty and saved by papal indulgences. » He also published a letter arguing that priests should be able to marry and that the Bible should be translated from Latin so that other people could read it. It is no coincidence that the separation of the religious unity of Europe during the Protestant Reformation is linked to the spread of printing. Motivated by religious differences, numerous civil wars and outbreaks of violence took place between 1562 and 1598.