A trip through time to Europe's origins

I like reading news from over the pond.

[DW-World.de] Deutsche Welle has created an interesting, interactive time line on what went on in times past. I enjoy such maps, with clickable features, taking me directly to the map in that part of the world.
"a trip through European history - from the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC to the introduction of the euro in 2002."

The timeline is terrific, as we need to understand where we have been.
My only critique is that on this continent, the politically correct term for 'BC' isn't the old 'Before Christ' (BC) but BCE= Before the Common Era. Not sure what they are writing over on that side of the ocean!

With historic figures, like Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), we can see how church and state became extricably involved and how purists then were disgruntled. Further see how churches became divided.
This part of history relates to the fact that the RC Church did not want their people to read The Bible directly. Even in my husband's schooling, the nuns taught everything by rote and parishioners were not encouraged to form their own opinions. Until Martin Luther printed the book in German, many were led like sheep. Luther wanted to change the way people related to God by making the scriptures more accessible.

What I find fascinating is that many did not and cannot read the Qu'ran, either, and still some uneducated Muslims profess beliefs that are not religious, but cultural beliefs embedded in particular regions. This is why there are such disparities in various sects within a religious body or faith.

Those in control of religious bodies did not want people to think for themselves, to discuss ideas, such as secularization or celibacy. What really propelled Martin Luther into his fame, was the invention of the printing press that permitted him to interpret the gospels of the New Testament and present it to the people.

Many people cite this act as the primary starting point of the Protestant Reformation but others, like  John Wycliffe, John Hus, Thomas Linacre, John Colet, risked all. Luther also confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. One used to be able to buy the forgiveness of sins by buying indulgences from the church.

As DW site says, "The conflict with the Catholic Church, as the Roman Church was by then known, grew increasingly violent. Both sides took up arms. The religious conflict eventually evolved into the Thirty Years' War (1618 - 1648), which ended with a treaty declaring religious freedom in Germany and Europe."

From Wikipedia:
His translation of the Bible into the language of the people (instead of Latin) made it more accessible, causing a tremendous impact on the church and on German culture. It fostered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation,^[4] and influenced the translation into English of the King James Bible.^[5] His hymns inspired the development of singing in churches.^[6] His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage, allowing Protestant priests to marry.^[7] 

More of Man's Inhumanity to Man in an attempt for control and power. In this way, the church had a monopoly when it came to interpreting the Bible.
His treatment of Jews leave me put asunder, he did not inspire tolerance in that respect. That is a topic for another day!