Even before 1517, the abuses of the Catholic Church had come to light. John Wyclif, an English theologian, told the Church to stop worrying about wealth as well as power and instead focus on people in poverty. He continued to attack the Church by translating the Bible into English so that masses of people could interpret it. Jan Hus, a Bohemian theologian, denounced priestly abuse and was soon burned at the stake for sharing his philosophy at the Council of Constance. Through these two men, people were beginning to question the church and think individually. People began to look at literature themselves and interpret it independently of the Church. In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg for all to see. People began to support and join Martin Luther's fight against the church. Martin Luther may seem like a seminal figure, but in the past he was driven by ideas that laid the foundation for his opposition. Although Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses helped start the Protestant Reformation, the real driver of the reformation was that people began to believe in their own ideas as they questioned all institutions of leadership both politically and religiously. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The problems of the desire for power in the papacy of the Catholic Church and the struggle for the Church's money through deception have helped sustain the opposition against the Church. For example, the Great Schism occurred about 100 years before the Protestant Reformation and showed the power struggle in the Catholic Church. In response to the election of an Italian pope, the French elected their own pope. Soon both popes excommunicated each other. This turmoil in the Church divided Catholic loyalties and showed the Church's bitter political competition. Furthermore, people began to see the economic abuses that the Church was doing. The Church deceived people into buying indulgences to make money. Indulgences were documents that reduced waiting times in purgatory. They were granted by Pope Urban II in 1095 so that the Church could construct sumptuous buildings and support the magnificent lifestyle of the papal court. The Church didn't really care about people and deceived them to make a lot of money for selfish reasons. These abuses have led to a loss of respect for the Catholic Church. It can be seen that it was only a matter of time that people separated from the Church after seeing the political and economic problems of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, people desired to maintain their power rather than submit to royal authorities. For example, the French Valois dynasty suppressed the power of the nobles. Louis XI caused the vassals to turn against each other, which in turn helped him limit the strength of the nobles. He brought about the end of the feudal system using force and political power. After Louis XI, King Francis I helped establish the Concordat of Bologna with Pope Leo This overwhelming power shows the influence of the Church on the people who follow the king through the king's appointments. Once the nobles realized that their power was becoming useless and that the authorities were becoming overbearing, they found in Martin Luther an outlet to stop the “universal monarchy” while maintaining their power. Through this, masses of people begin to oppose the Church. Furthermore, the nobles in Germany were beginning to resist the Holy Roman Emperor..