Why are indulgences important to history?

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Answer from a CatholicI would assume that whoever is asking the question is looking for "cause of the protestant revolt", but they are probably wrong. That is what most protestants *think* was what the protestant revolt was about in Germany, but it is only an excuse the recent research has shown to be false. Many of M. Luther's 95 Theses concerned indulgences, but nearly everyone of them that does shows a remarkable misunderstanding of what indulgences are and how they are used. That is even more true today as the misinformation has grown larger, not decreased.