Short answers, pulled from the story.
Martin Luther started the Reformation movement on the 31st of October 1517 when he nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. This event ignited a firestorm that would consume Western Christendom and challenge the financial machinery of the papacy.
Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli disagreed on the nature of the Eucharist, with Lutherans accepting a corporeal presence and the Reformed accepting a spiritual presence. This disagreement caused a rift that defined the split between Lutheranism and the Reformed tradition.
Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach became the first prince to formally abandon Catholicism in April 1525 by transforming the region into the hereditary Duchy of Prussia. This action established the first Evangelical state church and represented an open rebellion against Catholicism.
The Council of Trent met in sessions from 1545 to 1563 to clarify ambiguous Catholic positions and reject Protestant doctrines. This council reaffirmed apostolic tradition and emphasized the importance of good works in salvation.
The Thirty Years War began on the 23rd of May 1618 and ended on the 24th of October 1648. This conflict was the most devastating of the era and resulted in the deaths of between seven and seventeen million people.