Discuss the significance of Luther’s three critical tracts of 1520 to the Reformation.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the significance of Luther’s three critical tracts of 1520 to the Reformation. Consequences may extend beyond the timeframe but they must be clearly linked to the issue raised in the question. Candidates may refer to the challenge this represented to the very foundations of Catholicism in its attacks on the sacraments, particularly in the second tract. Some may argue that the third tract was significant as it concerned Christian liberty, focused more on political life, the Catholic system and the pope himself. Some may argue that the three tracts focused on faith and the word of God which helped crystalize the demands and logic of the Reformation and their significance as a call to action that proposed the separation of the spiritual and political realm. Other relevant factors may be addressed, for example the role of the Christian nobility in challenging the position of the pope and demanding a sort of egalitarian relationship between priests and the faithful, but with a focus on the issue in the question. Candidates’ opinions or conclusions will be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence.

The question required that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the significance of Luther's three critical tracts of 1520 to the Reformation.