Luther Timeline

Life of Luther:An Interactive

Timeline

The Monk(1483-1511)

The Professor(1512-1519)

The Reformer(1520-1521)


The Preacher(1530-1546)

Life of Luther: An Interactive Timeline


Timeline

The Monk(1483-1511)





1483-1501: Luther’s Youth

November 148310: Martin Luther is born in Eisleben, Saxony, to Hans andMargareta Luther (Robinson 2010, 1).11: he is baptized on the feast day of St. Martin (Robinson2010, 7).

1492: Luther begins attending his first school in Mansfeld(Robinson 2010, 2).

1497: Luther begins attending Latin school in Magdeburg(Robinson 2010, 2).

1498: Luther begins attending school in Eisenach (Robinson2010, 2).

Summer 1501: Luther enrolls at Erfurt University (Robinson2010, 4).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





Vocational Discernment

1502: the University of Wittenberg is founded (Robinson2010, 17).

1505Louis Cranach (the Elder) joins the Electoral Saxon Court(Robinson 2010, 19).January: Luther receives the Master of Arts degree (Robinson2010, 5).May: he begins his law studies (Robinson 2010, 5).July

2: Terrified in a thunderstorm while walking from his parents’home in Mansfeld back to school in Erfurt, Luther prays to St.Anne, vowing to become a monk (Robinson 2010, 8).17: Despite being temporarily disowned by his father, Lutherpresents himself and is admitted to the Augustinian Hermits(Robinson 2010, 8).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1507-1512: Ordination to Wittenberg via Rome

May 2, 1507: Newly ordained, Luther celebrates his first Mass(Robinson 2010, 10).

1510: appealing a decision to unite reformed Augustinianmonasteries with their counterparts in Lombardy, Luther visitsfirst Magdeburg, then Rome, to appeal to the papalauthorities (Robinson 2010, 11).

1511: Luther begins teaching at the University of Wittenberg(Robinson 2010, 17).

October 1512: Luther receives his doctorate from theUniversity of Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 17).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1513-1516: The Path to the Church Door

1513: Luther begins lectures on the Psalms that will continueuntil 1515 (Robinson 2010, 19).

1514: Albrecht von Hohenzollern is elected Archbishop ofMainz, accruing a debt to the pope of 29,000 gulden andsetting in motion an eventual (1517) indulgence controversyin Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 24).

Spring 1515: finishing his lectures on the Psalms, Lutherbegins lectures on Romans that will continue until 1516(Robinson 2010, 21).

1516Finishing his lectures on Romans, Luther turns to Galatiansand later Hebrews (Robinson 2010, 22).Erasmus publishes his Greek New Testament (Robinson2010, 22).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1517: Indulgences

At the regular chapter meeting of the Augustinians, Lutherpresents his Disputation Against Scholastic Theology(Robinson 2010, 27).

In order to finance Albrecht of Mainz’s payments to wealthyfinancier Jakob Fugger and to support the construction of St.Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Johann Tetzel begins sellingindulgences (Robinson 2010, 23) and preaching in Jüterbog(Robinson 2010, 2).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1517: 95 Theses

Spring: people begin to ask Luther for absolution solely onthe basis of the indulgences (Robinson 2010, 25).October: Luther writes his 95 Theses and sends copies toBishop Jerome of Brandenburg (Luther’s own bishop) andAlbrecht of Mainz (originator of the indulgence) (Robinson2010, 25).

31: Luther posts his 95 Theses, “it is commonly believed,” onthe door of the castle church in Wittenberg (Robinson 2010,26).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1518: Quick Response

April: at the regular chapter meeting of the Augustinians inHeidelberg, Luther presents theses for disputation (i.e., theHeidelberg Disputation); these are perhaps best known forintroducing the phrase “theologian of the cross.”Summer: formal legal proceedings against Luther begin inRome (Robinson 2010, 27).

August: Luther is summoned to Rome on heresy charges,including a catalog of “errors” by papal court theologianSylvester Prierias; Luther wrote a response in two days,“noting that the matter was worth no more of this time thanthat” (Robinson 2010, 31).

September: Luther meets unproductively with CardinalCajetan at Augsburg (Robinson 2010, 31-32).October: in a letter to Elector Frederick the Wise, CardinalCajetan insists that Frederick send Luther to Rome to answerthe charges against him (Robinson 2010, 32).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1519: Tower Experience

According to his own recollection, Luther comes tounderstand “the righteousness of God” which interpretingPsalms in this year (Robinson 2010, 14). Some, like Karl Holl,have argued for an earlier date, some, like Ernst Bizer, arguefor 1519, and “many other scholars take a mediating position”(Robinson 2010, 33).

Luther delivers the sermon “Two Kinds of Righteousness”(Robinson 2010, 21-22).

A new edition of Erasmus’s Greek New Testament ispublished, which Luther will later use (in 1521-1522) totranslate his German New Testament (Robinson 2010, 47).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1519: Politics Unfolding

JanuaryRelatively irenic papal ambassador Karl von Miltitz awardsElector Frederick the Wise the “Golden Rose of Virtue” andmeets with Luther to attempt compromise (Robinson 2010,32).Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian dies, increasing ElectorFrederick the Wise’s power (during the interregnum) andthereby delaying action against Luther (Robinson 2010, 32).

June: Charles I of Spain is elected emperor (Charles V)(Robinson 2010, 36).July 4: following a debate between Eck and Karlstadt, whohad precipitated this particular public controversy, Eck andLuther begin to debate in Leipzig on the origin of papalauthority (Robinson 2010, 28).August: Philipp Melanchthon begins teaching at theUniversity of Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 28).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1520: Rome Moves

February: Pope Leo X renews ecclesiastical charges againstLuther (Robinson 2010, 36).June

11: Luther publishes On the Papacy [Against the MostCelebrated Romanist in Leipzig] (Robinson 2010, 39).15: the papal bull Exsurge Domine is promulgated in Rome;Luther must recant within sixty days of receiving a copy or becondemned (Robinson 2010, 37).

OctoberLuther publishes [Prelude on] The Babylonian Captivity of theChurch (Robinson 2010, 42).Eck proclaims Exsurge Domine in Leipzig (Robinson 2010,42).23: Emperor Charles V is crowned at Aachen (Robinson2010, 44).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1520: Wittenberg Flames

Meeting Karl von Miltitz between Wittenberg and Liepzig,Luther is convinced to write “a conciliatory letter” to introduceThe Freedom of a Christian (Robinson 2010, 42).

November: Luther publishes [On] The Freedom of a Christian(Robinson 2010, 42).

December 20: University of Wittenberg students burn papalbooks; Luther add Exsurge Domine to the fire (Robinson2010, 43).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1521: Worms

January: the papal bull Decet Romanem Pontificemexcommunicates Luther (Robinson 2010, 43).April

16: Luther arrives in Worms (Robinson 2010, 44).17-18: before Emperor Charles V, Luther refuses to recant atthe Diet of Worms: “ . . . here I stand, may God help me.Amen.” (Robinson 2010, 45)26: Luther leaves Worms (Robinson 2010, 44).

May6: Emperor Charles V presents an edict against Luther to thediet (Robinson 2010, 46).26: The emperor enacts the edict against Luther to the diet(Robinson 2010, 46), though Lutheran rulers will ignore it(Robinson 2010, 68).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1521: Wartburg and Wittenberg

Luther’s friends “kidnap” him and take him Wartburg Castle(Robinson 2010, 46), where he lives in hiding for nearly ayear (until March 1522), working especially on his Postills andGerman New Testament (Robinson 2010, 47).September: Melanchthon celebrates Mass in both kinds in hishome with students (Robinson 2010, 52).October: Augustinian monks in Wittenberg begin receivingboth kinds, only to have the practice forbidden by their prior(Robinson 2010, 52).December

Luther, disguised as “Knight George,” visits Wittenberg tomonitor reforms there; later he publishes A SincereAdmonition to All Christian to Guard Against Insurrection andRebellion (Robinson 2010, 52).Karlstadt leads an “’evangelical’ Mass,” forcing relativelyradical changes on the Wittenberg congregation (Robinson2010, 52).The “Zwickau prophets” arrive in Wittenberg, claimingunmediated contact with the Holy Spirit and rejecting bothclergy and infant baptism (Robinson 2010, 52-53).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1522: Back in Town

MarchLuther returns to Wittenberg from Wartburg Castle earlierthan planned to reign in problems such as iconoclasm(Robinson 2010, 53-54).He preaches the eight “’Invocavit Sermons,”’ condemning“loveless” reform such as Karlstadt’s force-fed changes(Robinson 2010, 54).

The Knights’ War, in which the Imperial Free Knights underFranz von Sickengen attacked the Archbishopric of Trier,breaks out and lasts until 1523 (Robinson 2010, 56).

September: Luther’s German New Testament, written overeleven weeks at Wartburg Castle, is published (Robinson2010, 47).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1523: Nuns on the Run

Luther publishes That Jesus Christ Was Born a Jew, arguingthat accommodating Jews in society will clear the way forthem to hear the gospel and convert (Robinson 2010, 87).

Having begun in 1522, the Knights’ War ends with the deathof Franz von Sickengen (Robinson 2010, 56).

April: nine escaped nuns, including Katherine von Bora,arrive in Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 59).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1524: Luther at 40

The Peasants’ War breaks out and lasts until 1525 (Robinson2010, 57).

The Diet of Nuremberg is held; rulers “promised to observethe Edict of Worms only as far as possible--which for many ofthem meant not at all . . .”; this prompted an alliance amongsome Catholic rulers (Robinson 2010, 68).

Luther publishes To the Councilmen of All the Cities inGermany That They Establish and Maintain ChristianSchools, endorsing publicly-established schools for girls andboys (Robinson 2010, 63).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1525: The Peasant War and Aftermath

March: The Twelve Articles, articulating arguably reasonablepeasant demands, is published. Luther’s first moderateresponse, an Admonition to Peace, was quickly followed byAgainst the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasant, whichurged rulers to crackdown on the rebelling peasants(Robinson 2010, 58).

Having begun in 1524, the Peasants’ War ends in bloodydefeat for the peasants, including torture and execution forThomas Müntzer (Robinson 2010, 57); nonetheless, Lutherdefends his earlier words in the Open Letter on the HarshBook Against the Peasants, standing in agreement with hisearlier, less harshly-stated views in On Secular Authority(Robinson 2010, 58).

May: Elector Frederick (the Wise) dies and is succeeded byhis brother John (Robinson 2010, 62).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1525: A Pretty Good 6 Months

June 13: Katherine von Bora and Luther are married(Robinson 2010, 60).December

Luther publishes [On] The Bondage of the Will, in which heargues emphatically against the theological concept of freewill to help effect salvation, specifically against Erasmus’sbook On Free Will (Robinson 2010, 60). Luther’s distinctionbetween “God preached” versus “God not preached” allowshim to distinguish that the good news of “God preached”inspires faith, even in the midst of the mystery, inscrutability,and seemingly contrary ways of “God not preached”(Robinson 2010, 61).Christmas: Luther’s German Mass is first employed inWittenberg (Robinson 2010, 62).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1526: Turks on the Move

June: Johannes (Hans) Luther is born; Lucas Cranach is theGodfather (Robinson 2010, 60).Summer: the First Diet of Speyer is held (Robinson 2010,68).

August27: the Diet concludes that, barring a general council, eachterritory will make its own decisions about religious matters(Robinson 2010, 68).29: Ottoman troops defeat a Hungarian army at the Battle ofMohács, killing King Louis II. Charles V’s inheritance of Louis’scrown means he is now under attack from the Turks (Robinson2010, 69).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1527-1528: Visitations

1527Parish visitations begin in Saxony (Robinson 2010, 62).May 6: underpaid troops from the Holy Roman Empire sackRome (Robinson 2010, 69).

1528March: Melanchthon’s theological guidelines for churchvisitors is published (Robinson 2010, 62).Luther persuades Elector John of Saxony to reject Philip ofHesse’s idea of “preemptive war” against the Catholic rulers(Robinson 2010, 68).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1529: Catechisms for Protestants

In response to the Saxony visitations, Luther writes andpublishes his Large Catechism and Small Catechism(Robinson 2010, 63).

Spring: a Second Diet of Speyer is held at which Protestantsare those who oppose Archduke Ferdinand’s position that anyreforms should wait for a general council (Robinson 2010,70).

August: France and the Holy Roman Empire agree to thePeace of Cambrai (Robinson 2010, 69).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1529: Near-Unity in Near-Crisis

September: Ottoman troops sack Buda and besiege Vienna,heightening apocalyptic sentiments in Luther and others(Robinson 2010, 69).October

14: lacking heavy artillery, Ottoman troops make an ultimatelyunsuccessful final assault against Vienna (Robinson 2010,69).Arranged by Philip of Hesse, the Marburg Colloquy proceedswith the political goal of uniting the Holy Roman Empire’sProtestants under one banner; the parties, led by Luther andHuldrych Zwingli, agreed on all points except the Lord’ssupper (Robinson 2010, 64).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1530: Augsburg Confession

February: Pope Clement VII crowns Charles V, who has beenEmperor since 1519, as Holy Roman Emperor (Robinson2010, 69).

April: Lutheran delegates to the upcoming Diet of Augsburgmeet in Coburg, where Luther will remain as a consultant(Robinson 2010, 70).June

15: Emperor Charles V arrives at Augsburg (Robinson 2010,71).25: Lutheran princes present The Augsburg Confession toHoly Roman Emperor Charles V at the diet (Robinson 2010,72).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1530: No Dice

August 3: the (Roman) Confutation is read to the diet(Robinson 2010, 72).

September: against the Protestants, the diet rules that reformmust wait for a general council, giving reformers until April to“reconsider their position” (Robinson 2010, 72).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1531: Augsburg Aftermath

February: the Schmalkaldic League is formed for mutualdefense in the wake of the Diet of Augsburg (Robinson 2010,73).

March: “the final printed edition of the diet’s decisions”reaches Wittenberg, sometime after which Luther publishes AWarning to His Dear German People (Robinson 2010, 73).

April: the Diet of Augsburg’s deadline passes withoutcompliance “in the midst of negotiations (Robinson 2010, 73).

Luther delivers his Lectures on Galatians (Robinson 2010,80).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1532: Re-Agree to Disagree

Elector John gives the ”Black Cloister“ to the Lutherhousehold ”as a reward for Luther’s service“ (Robinson 2010,78).

March: serious negotiations between the Emperor and theLutherans begin (Robinson 2010, 74).

July: Catholic and Protestant rulers agree to the ReligiousPeace of Nuremberg, in which they ”agreed to disagree aboutreligious matters until a general council of the church or anational assembly“ but would defend each other from Turks inthe meantime (Robinson 2010, 74).

August: Elector John of Saxony dies and is succeeded by hisson, John Frederick (Robinson 2010, 74).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1534-1535: Educating

1534: Luther’s German Old Testament is published(Robinson 2010, 47).

1535Luther writes A Simple Way to Pray for his friend Peter theBarber (Robinson 2010, 79) and later intervenes on his behalfafter Peter unintentionally kills his son (Robinson 2010, 80).Luther becomes dean of the theology faculty at the Universityof Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 80).June: Luther begins lecturing on Genesis, a process thatwould continue until his death eleven years later (Robinson2010, 81).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1535-1536: Fruitful Discussions

November 7, 1535: Luther meets in Wittenberg with PietroPaolo Vergerio, papal representative to Germany, about theplanned general council; though the meeting is unproductivein terms of, for example, securing Luther’s blessing for thecouncil, interestingly Vergerio himself becomes a Protestant adecade later (Robinson 2010, 83).

1536May: Lutherans and some southern German Protestants, ledby Martin Bucer, agree to the Wittenberg Concord, which wasespecially vague about the sacramental eating of theunworthy (Robinson 2010, 82).Agricola, whose antinomian stance would cause conflict withLuther, arrives in Wittenberg (Robinson 2010, 81).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1537: Schmalkald

1537February: the Schmalkaldic League meets to discuss theproposed general council, and reaffirms the AugsburgConfession rather than replacing it with Luther’s newSchmalkald Articles ”as a formal statement of faith“ (Robinson2010, 84).While in Schmalkald and returning (early), Luther suffers withan excruciating bout of kidney stones (Robinson 2010, 78).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1538-1540: Breaking the Law

1538: With the planned general council in mind, Lutherbegins On the Councils and the Church, which emphasizesthe necessity of Scripture over against popes and councils(Robinson 2010, 84).

December 1539: promiscuous Philip of Hesse marries asecond wife with Luther’s embarrassing counsel of bigamy--abold sin, to be sure--supporting him and even giving casusbelli to Emperor Charles V (Robinson 2010, 85).

1540: Agricola, after four years of doctrinal conflict withLuther in Wittenberg, agrees to retract his antinomian errorsand moves to Berlin to become ”court preacher“ to ElectorJoachim II of Brandenburg (Robinson 2010, 82).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





1541-1542: Promise Cut Short

1541: Following earlier colloquies at Hagenau and Worms,the Colloquy of Regensburg yields a short-lived agreementbetween Protestants and Catholics on the doctrine ofjustification; John Calvin is in attendance (Robinson 2010,86).

1542The Schmalkaldic League capture Braunschweig from DukeHenry of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, long-time opponent ofProtestantism and Luther and subject of Luther’s AgainstHanswurst (Robinson 2010, 87).The Luthers’ eldest living daughter, Madgalena, dies at agethirteen, devastating her parents (Robinson 2010, 78).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





Hatred

1543: Luther publishes the abominable On the Jews andTheir Lies, which would bolster anti-Semitism in Germanyand worldwide in the succeeding centuries, through theHolocaust and beyond. In it he defends Christologicalinterpretation of the Hebrew Bible; refutes lies, attributed toJews by medieval Christian tradition, about Jesus and Mary;and advises ”Christian rulers to forbid rabbis to teach, toconfiscate Jewish books, to destroy Jewish homes, to burndown the synagogues, and to forbid Jews to lend money“(Robinson 2010, 88).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





More Bilious Polemics and Demise

1545Luther publishes On the Papacy at Rome, an Institution of theDevil (Robinson 2010, 84).July: Luther writes Katherine planning to leave the ”Sodom“ ofWittenberg (the elector’s physician convinces him to return)(Robinson 2010, 77).December: the Council of Trent is convened for the first time;it would continue off and on--mostly off--for nineteen years(Robinson 2010, 89).

February 18, 1546: Having come ”to mediate a disputeinvolving the Counts of Mansfeld,“ Luther dies in hisbirthplace of Eisleben at age 62 (Robinson 2010, 89).


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The Monk(1483-1511)





Work Cited

Robinson, Paul W. 2010. Martin Luther: A Life Reformed.The Library of World Biography, ed. Peter N. Stearns. UpperSaddle River, NJ: Longman.

Documents

Luther Timeline