Martin Luther's religious, cultural and political revolution

Martin Luther

Luther's ninety-five theses

When Martin Luther first posted his ninety-five theses, he no doubt intended to stir up change in Europe’s religious practices and the culture surround them. Though his intent was reform, his actions, instead, triggered the greatest religious, cultural, and political revolutions of the time. In terms of religion, Luther wanted to alter the practices of the Catholic church because he did not approve of their practices, leading to his eventual reputation as an enemy of this religious sect. Standing by his word, Luther received protection from various princes of the German lands. These leaders subscribed to his views because of the restrictions of power Luther believed should be placed on the church, including elimination the power of the church to act as a taxing body. Therefore, Luther’s views had political clout, which led to the starting of Protestantism, rather than his initial intentions of simply reforming the Catholic Church.  This doesn't mean the Catholic Church didn't change at all. In response to the new religion the church had to launch a counter reformation to encourage members to remain in the Catholic Church rather than defecting. Politically, the conversion of various areas of the Holy Roman Empire to Protestantism created conflict within the empire. Culturally, since the Catholic Church controlled a substantial portion of the lives of its members, change in church power had profound effect on culture, especially in the German Lands. 

Luther's German Bible translation

Luther became an important figure to the Germany of this time due to the fact that his actions both united and divided the country and its people. The division of the land into protestant and catholic territories created a great deal of conflict. However, the translation of the Bible into German established a common language and text for individuals to connect with each other. This gives the area a cultural identity due to a subscription and understanding of one piece of literature.  Martin Luther’s contributions during the reformation and the profound impact that he had on Europe can be explicitly seen within the German lands and I look forward to learning more about this time period on our trip this winter.