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Martin Luther summary

Name: Martin Luther
Rating: 4.4 (48 reviews)
Author: Heinz Schilling

Heinz Schilling

Rebel in an Age of Upheaval

4.4 (48 ratings)

31 mins

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Martin Luther
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What’s in it for me? Discover how the Martin Luther forever changed the course of European history.

Anyone who’s traveled around Europe, and Germany in particular, is sure to have seen town squares adorned with statues of and monuments dedicated to Martin Luther.

And with good reason. Martin Luther’s single-mindedness and desire to reform the Roman Catholic Church was a key first step toward the establishment of modern European culture; the Reformation he set in motion ushered in a new era of politics and thought.

It may seem fairly abstract to interpret the history of an entire continent through the actions of one monk, but a look at Luther’s life will show just how influential religion and religious practice was in his time. Moreover, you’ll see how economics, politics, belief, philosophy and religion were so closely intertwined, that criticism of a few seemingly academic religious matters caused the whole mass to unravel.

Understand Luther, and you’ll understand what makes Europe and the Western world what it is today.

In these blinks, you’ll find out

where the Protestant Church gots its name;
how Luther is linked to some of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century; and
what pun caused Luther to change his name.

Martin Luther was born at the end of the Middle Ages, a time of great societal turmoil.

When looking at the modern world, it may seem that things have never changed at such a great speed as they are doing today. In reality, though, something quite similar was taking place some 500 years ago; the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were characterized by radical societal, geopolitical and economic upheaval.

Europe was threatened from the east by the constant specter of Ottoman invasion. Meanwhile, to the west, Spanish and Portuguese vessels had taken to the seas and were in the process of "discovering" the New World.

European contact with the Americas was soon followed by the establishment of colonial trading routes. These brought an unprecedented influx of gold and silver from American mines to Europe, and these newfound riches laid the foundations for a new capital-oriented society in Europe.

In turn, a new and wealthy middle class of merchants began to emerge, and they were all too willing to challenge the old aristocratic order.

While all this was going on, the population of Europe was booming. It’s estimated that Europe’s population increased from 82 to 107 million over the course of the fifteenth century.

In the midst of all this change and upheaval, on November 10, 1483, Martin Luder – or Martin Luther as he would come to be known – was born to Hans, a mining entrepreneur, and Margarete in Eisleben, Germany. It was a comfortable household with domestic servants, but the family still lived modestly and avoided luxuries.

Luther, as his family’s first-born child, was expected to safeguard the family’s middle-class status and was thus sent to study law. Then, as now, a legal career was seen as a secure choice.

But, as we now know, Luther didn’t follow his designated course – and his change of heart would affect not just his own life, but the course of history itself.

Luther entered a reformist monastery and was taught to criticize the Church in Rome.

Young Luther’s mind was restless. As he began his legal studies, he was troubled: what point was there examining the laws of the earthly realm, when it was more important to think about the path to righteousness and God’s kingdom in Heaven?

Luther turned his back on the law before completing his first semester.

As a Bible teacher in Wittenberg, Luther developed the theological foundations for the Reformation.

Luther’s mission to Rome had met with no success. But upon his return, he buried himself in Bible study at the University of Wittenberg. The institution was in many ways the perfect place to conduct such research; as the reformist Order of St. Augustine had cofounded the university, it meant that it was far more liberal in its approach to Church doctrine than traditional universities.

This atmosphere allowed for unconventional approaches to teaching. Luther, as a theology professor, became fully immersed in this rebellious spirit, and soon found willing collaborators. Among Luther’s acquaintances were the renowned painter Lucas Cranach, the polymath Philip Melanchthon and the jurist Hieronymus Schurff.

Luther’s posting of his theses set off a revolution, even if it hadn't been deliberate.

October 31, 1517, is a date that echoes through the annals of history. On that day, Luther's 95 theses were nailed onto the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg.

But the act wasn’t so radical as it is often remembered; Luther didn’t actually set out to reform the entire church in one fell swoop. In fact, the 95 theses were essentially arguments against the flourishing trade in indulgences.

The publication of the theses caused Luther to be both celebrated and reviled.

The explosive nature of Luther’s theses was clear, and panic spread among those who had been selling indulgences. To clamp down on a possible backlash, they sought to prevent the theses from circulating.

Cardinal Albert of Brandenburg, who had himself profited greatly from the sale of indulgences, commissioned a report from the University of Mainz. The idea was to negate the validity of Luther’s theses and ban their dissemination. The cardinal also contacted papal dignitaries who, in turn, instructed the head of the Order of St. Augustine to impose a vow of silence on Luther.

Luther’s sophisticated media strategy meant he became the Pope’s most recognizable adversary.

Luther was well aware of the perilous position into which he’d placed himself by challenging the Church. But despite his fears of persecution, he remained determined to spread his new understanding of God.

By 1521, Luther’s celebrity status was in no doubt, and a modern media strategy had been at the heart of his success.

Luther openly declared his opposition to the Roman Catholic Church at the Diet of Worms.

It wasn’t just the Pope who wanted to put an end to Luther’s agitation; the most powerful ruler in Europe, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, had Luther in his sights too. Charles V ruled over numerous German states, and he wanted Luther silenced and extradited to Rome.

It wasn’t that easy though. Luther’s popularity meant that the Emperor couldn’t just gag Luther.

The Reformation took hold and was spread by the middle classes.

The next stage of Luther’s life reads like an adventure story. Luther had seemingly vanished, and while many people thought he’d been murdered, he had actually been “kidnapped” by his supporters and hidden away in Wartburg Castle in Saxony.

Rumors of his murder then sparked a wave of social unrest.

Thomas Müntzer developed a social-revolutionary movement built around the tenets of Luther's Reformation.

It wasn’t just the middle classes and knights who were galvanized by Luther’s Reformation. Ordinary people also felt the time for change had come.

Specifically, the peasants at the bottom rung of society had had enough.

In the Peasants’ War, Luther sided with the nobility.

A desire for a radical social revolution paired with a desire to disempower a ruling elite will, as a general rule, lead to violent unrest. Müntzer’s agitation proved to be no exception.

The German lands were in turmoil; peasant and prince alike committed themselves to bloody hostilities.

Luther’s Reformation brought lasting change to society.

Once the Peasants’ War had come to an end in 1525, Luther put an end to his itinerant life. He married and settled down to become a family man.

More importantly, the German nobility had a newfound confidence thanks to their victory. And with good reason – they now held uncontested power in the Holy Roman Empire.

Despite Luther's progressive outlook in some areas, he was an anti-Semite.

There’s no denying it, Luther loathed the Jews and railed against them at length in his sermons.

However, Luther’s opinion about Jews was notably inconsistent throughout his life. In his earlier writings, he emphasized that Jesus himself was Jewish. That said, he used that tidbit of information to insist that Jews should convert to Christianity.

Luther set the course for fundamental change in Europe.

Luther died in 1546 at the age of 63 in his hometown of Eisleben. Today, 500 years after his theses first came to light, what exactly is Luther’s legacy?

Primarily, Luther and the Reformation he instigated laid the foundations of a modern and pluralistic Europe.

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What is Martin Luther about?

Martin Luther (2017) details the life and times of one of the most important figures in European history. Five hundred years ago, the German priest Martin Luther sparked the Reformation, which would eventually bring the Protestant Church into existence and thereby create a permanent schism between the Protestant and the Roman Catholic Church. This book presents a fresh interpretation of Luther’s life, investigating what his actions – and the Reformation in general – tell us about the modern world.

Who should read Martin Luther?

People skeptical as to the power religion can hold over people
History junkies who want to learn more about how modern Europe emerged
Anyone curious about one of the most famous historical figures of all time

About the Author

Heinz Schilling is Professor Emeritus of History at Humboldt University in Berlin. Schilling’s work focuses on the history of religion, and he has published numerous academic works and award-winning popular histories. His book Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval is considered the gold standard of Luther biographies.

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Religion & Spirituality Biography & Memoir

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