On January 3rd 1521 Martin Luther was excommunicated by Pope Leo X.

Luther was a Catholic priest and friar from Germany who become a pivotal figure in the Protestant Reformation. Luther objected to the Catholic Church's policies regarding penance and righteousness, and the purchase of indulgences, considering that the church had become corrupt.

He distributed a pamphlet known as the 95 Theses which resulted in him being warned by Pope Leo X on 15th June 1520 with the papal bull Exsurge Domine that he was at risk of excommunication unless he withdrew certain sentences from his writings, including the 95 Theses, within 60 days. He didn't, and was then excommunicated.

Image: Lucas Cranach the Elder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons