Exact quote: “If Charles V had intervened and made Martin Luther pope, as was not inconceivable, there would have been no Reformation.”
My specific questions are not about the speculation of what the world would be like without the reformation, but
- Is there any evidence Charles V considered this?
- Did the Holy Roman Emperor still have this kind of power in the 1520s as they did a few centuries before?
- Did any church leaders advocate for Luther or consider how the Church would respond if Charles V pushed Luther as Pope?