Reluctant Revolutionary: Blog Post #3

In 1517, Martin Luther posted the 95 Thesis on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.  The purpose of this document was to take a shot at the Pope and the Catholic Church as a whole to expose them for what they really were.  However, when word of this document was spread throughout the German Provinces, it did much more than that.

A Sketch of Martin Luther Nailing the 95 Thesis to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church 

  By the writing of the 95 Thesis, as well as many other books and pamphlets criticizing the Catholic Church, Luther was able to influence the people of Germany, and forced them to question the intentions of the Pope, and the Holy Roman Empire.  Martin Luther had an enormous impact on the culture of the German Provinces through his work.  After seeing him stand up to the Holy Roman Emperor, they learned that everyday people can stand up to authority whenever they felt they were being oppressed.  He also created a new concept that pastors of the church were allowed to marry, and live similar lives to those in their congregation which was unheard of in the Catholic Church.  The people of Germany were looking for a voice to say what they were feeling.  The voice came in the form of books and documents written by Martin Luther, and the German people were quick in supporting him, and getting behind what he was saying.

A Picture of Pope Leo X sitting with his Cardinals

              Luther also had an influence on political rulers.  He understood early on that if he is going to influence the people of Germany then he is going to have to focus on the secular and political rulers.  He realized that if he is to purify the church he needs the cooperation of the people in power.  Specifically he had a huge influence on the German Prince named Fredrick the Wise who ended up protecting him before and after his meeting with the Holy Roman Emperor.  I think the reason that he had so much influence on Fredrick is because Fredrick believed in what Luther was saying in his books, and he wanted to see a decline in the influence of the Catholic Church, and the Pope.  Being a Prince of a German province, which was under the control of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick would definitely have something to gain if their influence or power were to decline. 

A Portrait of Frederick the Wise, the German Prince that protected Martin Luther.

Lastly, and probably the most obvious was the influence that Martin Luther had on religion at the time.  There have been people before Luther that have stood up to the Catholic Church and been burned at the stake for being a heretic.  Luther knew that what he was doing was dangerous but he also knew that someone had to do it because the Catholic Church was corrupt and was deceiving the people that looked to it for help and guidance.  His writing made people question their beliefs, and exposed the church for what it really was.  Because of his writings (and with a little help from the printing press) he was able to start a religious reformation where people turned away from the Catholic Church and started a new system of beliefs which he wrote down in “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church”

The effects that Martin Luther had on the German Speaking lands back in the 16^th Century can still be seen today.  He gave the people a voice at a time when they didn’t have one, and gave them the choice to believe in what they wanted to believe in.  With his new system they had a say in how their religion was run, and he gave them a relationship between them and god without having the middle man (the pope) telling them what was right and what was wrong

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