A Named Religious Reformer (Martin Luther)
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1483 born Eisleben, Saxony
1505 Studied law in Erfurt University - became an Augustine monk and started to study
theology
1512 became a professor at the University of Wittenberg
1517 he began to protest against the sale of indulgences with the ‘95 Theses’ and sent a
letter to Albrecht of Brandenburg
Ideas spread with the help of printing press
1519 in a debate a Leipzig he question the authority of the pope
1520 for the church burning some of his pamphlets in protest he burned papal bull from
pope that condemned him and gave him sixty days to recant his work or be
excommunicated
1521 condemned a heretic in the diet of worms – was kidnapped by Fredrick the Wise and
hidden in a remote castle in Wartburg
1522 translated new testament into German
1525 married Catharine von Bora
1529 wrote two catechisms that set out his beliefs;
o the bible was the source of all beliefs
o Justification by faith alone
o Church was controlled by a prince in each state
o Two sacraments
 Baptism
 Eucharist
o All Christians were equal and should read the bible for themselves
o Priests were allowed to marry
1534 published the bible in German
1546 died in Eisleben, Saxony
Martin Luther (1483 - 1547)
Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, Saxony, Germany in 1483. His father was a rich copper miner
who sent him to Erfurt to study law in 1505 during this year he was caught in a thunderstorm and
decided to join the Augustinians and study theology in the same year and university. He was a
professor of Theology at Wittenberg in 1512 and he became the local preist of the area.
Luther became angry with the sale of indulgences and after friar John Tetzel came to look for
indulgences that helped to pay for St. Peter’s Ballista he sent a letter to Albrecht of Brandenburg
which included the ’95 Theses’ which he pinned to the church door in October 1517.
With the help of the printing press his ideas began to spread and he questioned the
authority of the pope. In response the pope burned some of his pamphlets and sent him a papal bull
which gave him sixty days to recant his teachings or he was to be excommunicated from the church.
In protest he burnt the papal bull publically along with some catholic books.
In the Diet of Worms in 1521 he was condemned a heretic and an outlaw by the Edict of
Worms and people were able to murder him without consequences. But to his rescue Fredrick the
Wise kidnapped Luther and kept him in a remote castle in Wartburg where Luther translated the
New Testament into German and the next year he was safe to return to Wittenberg. Soon he also
translated the Old Testament as well and published the bible in German.
In 1529 he wrote two catechisms one for the old and one for the young these stated his
main beliefs. Some of those that differed from the church would be that there was two sacraments,
preists could marry and mass was to be said in the language of the people.
In 1525 he married Catharine von Bara with which he had six children he wrote many hyms
and died of a heart attack in 1546 in Eisleben the town of his birth.