The Reformation (Junior Cert History): Model Answers

Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation

Martin Luther (1483-1546) was born in the German state of Saxony. His father was a prosperous copper miner who raised Martin very strictly.

Martin became a student of law at Erfurt University. One day, he was caught in a frightening thunderstorm. He vowed that if his life was spared, he would become a monk. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Augustinian order.

Father Luther became convinced that he (like almost everybody else) was a terrible sinner and that only faith in god could save his soul. This idea was called Justification by Faith.

While Luther was a well-known professor at the University of Wittenberg, friar John Wetzel came to town, offering indulgences in return for contributions to the rebuilding fund for St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Luther was so angry that he printed his ninety-five theses against such practices and nailed them to the church door. Luther's theses (arguments) contradicted several church teachings.

Pope Leo X issued a papal bull condemning Luther. The emperor Charles V called a meeting of princes known as the Diet of Worms. In the Edict of Worms, Luther was declared a heretic and an outlaw.

However, Father Luther was protected by Frederick of Saxony in the prince's castle at Wartburg. While staying in the castle, Luther translated the Bible into German, the vernacular language.

Luther's Protestant beliefs were laid out in a book called The Confessions of Augsburg. He believed, for example, that there were only two sacraments: Baptism and the Eucharist. He also believed that priests should be allowed to marry. He married an ex-nun named Catherine von Bora.

Some princes supported Luther because he would give them control over the church in their kingdoms. Others supported Luther because they disliked the abuses that then plagued the Catholic Church. Lutheranism, therefore, spread rapidly, especially in northern Germany and Scandinavia.