Why did Germany respond so rapidly to Luther's message?

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John Round

Why did Germany respond so rapidly to Luther’s message?

The beliefs of Martin Luther, and therefore the ideas of the German Reformation, spread rapidly across a great deal of North Germany. At a time of poor communication and transport the speed and spread of it was remarkable. This rapid response was due to a number of religious, political, social and economic factors.

During the 16th century religion had a profound influence on peoples’ lives. As dissatisfaction with the church grew, people increasingly began to question the role of the church.

Within the Catholic religion the church was seen as the only source of salvation. It manipulated this powerful position to control people and raise money through means such as indulgences and high taxes.

Luther pointed out that the population of Germany were funding the corrupt religious capital of Rome and that they were being taken for granted.

He illustrated that vast sums of money generated through high taxes were flowing out of Germany towards Rome, which could have been put to very good use in the states that formed Germany.

He was also very concerned about indulgences. In a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, Martin Luther demonstrated his worries, ‘I do not complain so much of the loud cry of the preacher of indulgences…but regret the false meaning which the simple folk attach to it.’ Luther encouraged Catholics to buy what is necessary for life rather than wasting money on indulgences and that indulgences will not save a man because it is only God who can forgive sinners.

        The corruption of the Catholic Church in Germany had caused existing dissatisfaction and anti clericalism within the German population.  Shortcomings of the Church such as simony which was when priests sold offices for profit and nepotism which was when land was given to clergy’s illegitimate children, greatly angered many people who simply felt that they were being conned by the Catholic Church. Martin Luther’s message tapped into these existing concerns.

Germany was made up of over 300 separate states which made it easy for Luther’s message to spread.

The states within Germany were each run under individual Princes, Bishops and Imperial Knights. Many of the state rulers had something to gain from Luther’s message. Some used the Lutheran issue as a way of expanding their political power at the expense of the emperor, whereas others converted their states for religious reasons. One such prince was Phillip of Hesse who ‘became the leading member of the Protestant cause’(Randall pg. 55) and was ‘able to exert considerable influence over the movement’. (Randall pg. 91)

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The more nationalistic rulers developed a traditional style of German Nationalism and had a desire to see a consolidated Empire and the elimination of foreign influence. The Foreign influence that they despised the most was that of the Pope. They therefore saw Luther, an enemy of papacy, as a potential ally and were more likely to listen and spread his message.The money that stayed in their states was a valuable source to tax but it also ensured social stability which could only benefit the state itself and therefore the position of the state leader.

Luther also owed much to the ...

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