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On 23 October 1516, at Wittenberg (in modern Germany), Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses condemning papal indulgences to the door of a church. Later, this was considered the pivotal action marking the start of the religious reformation in Europe. England and Scotland both rejected Luther\'s ideas and remained supporters of the Catholic church. In 1521, as a reward for attacking Lutheran ideas, Pope Leo X conferred the title of fidei defensor (defender of the faith) on Henry VIII. Although the title relates to the Catholic Church, it is still held by current British monarchs and can be seen as the abbreviation FD on current coinage. Lutheran ideas could not be kept out of a continental trading nation like England very easily and, from 1526, German-printed vernacular versions of the Bible (produced by William Tynedale) were circulating extensively. | |||
