Spread of Lutheranism

Spread of Lutheranism summary

Martin Luther became disillusioned with certain aspects of the Catholic Church, including indulgences and papal authority. He posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church, Wittenberg, in 1517, beginning the shift away from Catholicism. This led to his ex-communication from the Pope in 1521 and the banning of his work across all Catholic territories. He went into hiding and continued to produce work, including a complete German translation of the Bible, until he died in 1546.

Spread of Lutheranism Definition

Below is a definition integral to the understanding of this explanation.

Lutheranism vs Catholicism

In 1517, Luther started the Protestant Reformation, and the belief system that he promoted became known as Lutheranism. 'Lutheranism' had some critical differences from Catholicism, which can be found in the table below.

Spread of Lutheranism Geography

Lutheranism originated in Germany and saw most of its successful spread there. The spread in Germany was mainly from the 'top-down' due to the makeup of Germany at the time. It is important to remember that Germany was not the country we view it as today but a part of the Holy Roman Empire with several smaller territories and principalities. Below is a map of Germany from 1547, and you can see how the nation was fractured.

Fig. 2 - Political map of Germany at the time of the Reformation (1547)

Lutheranism spread in two different ways: Through princes and the nobility enacting changes themselves, as well as by the people themselves, although this was less common.

Spread of Lutheranism by the Nobility

At the beginning of the Reformation, there was less of an urge to enact the shift away from the Catholic Church. As time moved on, however, significant principalities adopted Lutheranism, such as the areas of Brandenburg-Ansbach by 1528, Wurrtemburg by 1534, Albertine Saxony by 1540, and the Electoral Palatinate by 1546. These significant areas of Germany had moved away from the safety and protection of the Holy Roman Empire and became rebels against the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V.

So why did these areas decide to move towards Lutheranism?

• There was a political and diplomatic reason to change; i.e. if your neighbours had shifted, it was better to keep them on your side.
• There was a change in leaders of the principalities: e.g. Albertine Saxony was ruled by Fredrick the Wise until he died in 1525. Although he was sympathetic, he did not impose Lutheranism.
• John Frederick I was the elector of Saxony from 1532 and imposed Lutheranism as he moved away from traditional ideology.
• There was an opportunity to gain assets from the Church.
• There was a genuine belief in Lutheranism and discontent with the role of the clergy in the Church.

Spread of Lutheranism by the People

Reformation from outside the nobility was less common but did still occur. The most substantial support for Lutheranism was in urban areas such as cities and towns. Germany was one of the most heavily urbanised areas in Europe at the time, with the only other similar nations being Italy and the Netherlands.

Fig. 3 - Wittenberg Illustration

Lutheranism began to emerge in towns in Saxony where Luther was based, such as Wittenberg, but quickly expanded into larger cities such as Strasbourg in 1524 and Nuremberg in 1525. Rural areas saw slower changes, as they were more isolated from religious change and also less interested overall.

Why did these areas decide to move towards Lutheranism?

• The larger population in large urban areas accelerated the pace at which Lutheranism could spread. It also meant that the governments of these larger cities had to respond faster out of fear of an uprising from the masses.

• There was an increased literacy rate within the cities, meaning that more people could read both scriptures as well as any propaganda spread at the time.

• More extensive trade networks in major urban areas allowed new ideas from other cities to spread around the country and Europe.

• Lutheranism appealed to the middle class at the time (i.e. craftsmen, traders, artists) who were found in cities.

• The anti-clerical/anti-authoritarian tone appealed to the urban population.

Spread of Lutheranism around Europe

European Reformation was slower, as other religions, such as Calvinism, had more of a significant influence. There were, however, a few countries that were influenced by the the Lutheran reformation.

Lutheranism was very German-based and saw little take-up around the rest of Europe. However, the ideas created by Martin Luther inspired and created the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, allowing contemporaries such as John Calvin and Huldrych Zwingli to develop their own religious practices.

Fig. 4 - 95 Theses

How did Lutheranism spread?

Even if Lutheranism was established as a Church, it did not mean that the Reformation had been completed. The general public had to be convinced that Lutheranism was the correct religion and the only religion they should be following.

Fig. 5 - Martin Luther preaching

Spread of Lutheranism and the Counter-Reformation

The spread of Lutheranism, although successful in its own right, was not welcomed with open arms by a large part of the population. At first, the Catholic Church deployed high-ranking clergy to debate with Luther over his ideas and allow him to retract his Lutheranism views.

With the failure of this intellectual attack, the Catholic Church fought back against Luther through a threat of military action. Luther and his followers were excommunicated, and their churches were outlawed. This rise in religious tensions started the subsequent response of the Catholic Church, the Counter-Reformation, which meant an increase in Catholic education and missionary work in the hopes of maintaining the power of the Catholic Church.