People In History~ Martin Luther Flashcards
1~ Early life
Martin Luther was born at Eisleben, Saxony in 1483. He came from a large family and his father was a rich copper miner. Following his fathers wishes he went to university at Erfurt to study law. In 1505, after being caught in a thunderstorm, he decided to become a monk. He joined the Augustians and started studying Theology at Erfurt
2~ His new belief
In 1512, Luther became a professor of theology at the university of Wittenberg. This had recently been founded by Frederick the Wise. Luther was unhappy as a monk. He believed he was a terrible sinner. He became convinced that the church’s teachings on how to get to heaven was wrong. He believed that a person was saved by faith alone. This became known as Justification of Faith Alone.
3~ 95 theses
The issue that saw luther publicly disagree with the church was the selling of indulgences. John Tetzel sold indulgences around Wittenberg,in 1517, as a protest against the selling of indulgences, Luther sent a letter to his bishop. He included a list called the 95 Theses. On 31 October 1517, he was said to have nailed them to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg.
4~ the papal bull
Pope Leo X ordered that Luthers actions be investigated. Luther was told to go to Rome. Frederick the Wise saved him. He made sure Luther stayed in Germany. In 1520, Pope Leo wrote a papal bull condemning Luther. It gave him 60 days to recant his teaching. If he refused he would be condemned as a heretic and excommunicated. Luther publicly burned the papal bull and other catholic books
5~ the diet of worms
The pope asked the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, to deal with Luther. However, one of the 7 electors who chose the emperor was Frederick the Wise. He put pressure on Charles to allow Luther to attend the diet of worms. He agreed as he didn’t want to annoy Frederick. Luther was promised safe conduct to attend the diet of worms. There Luther refused to give back his teachings. He was condemned an outlaw by the edict of worms.
6~ the castle at Wartburg
Frederick had Luther kidnapped and hidden in a remote castle at Wartburg. While there, Luther translated the New Testament into German. A few years later he translated the Old Testament.
7~ the spread of Protestantism
Luther’s ideas spread quickly around Germany, with the help of the printing press. More and more German left Catholicism and became Lutherans. When a town became Protestant, the mass was replaced by a service in the German language. In 1529, when Charles V tried to ban Luthers ideas a number of princes protested and Luthers followers became known as Protestants. Attempts to find a compromise solution failed and war soon broke out. The war ended with the ‘Peace of Augsburg’ in 1555. This stated that the ruler of a state decided the religion of his people.
8~ later life and death
In 1525, Luther married a former nun, Catherine van bora.they had 6 children. Luther continued to write pamphlets and preach. In 1546, he died of a heart attack in Eisleben. The religious revolution he had started became known as the reformation
