Martin Luther began a movement to reform practices in the Catholic Church that he believed were wrong. That movement, the Reformation, led to the founding of non-Catholic churches. ... This new technology helped spread the revolutionary ideas of the Renaissance and Reformation.
Twain uses irony and sarcasm to characterize the king and duke in such a way that communicates his belief that pretending to be something you are not (for the sake of appearances) is both ridiculous and embarrassing.
