When Martin Luther nailed a sheet of paper to the church door of a small university town in 1517, he set off a process that changed the Western world for ever. His attempts to reform Christianity by returning it to its biblical roots split the Western Church, divided Europe and polarised people’s beliefs, leading to religious persecution, social unrest and war; and in the long run his ideas would help break the grip of religion on every sphere of life.

Lyndal Roper is Regius Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, and author of the acclaimed biography Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet. The episode was recorded at Printworks, Dublin Castle, on 30th September 2017.

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