How far was Luther's message used by different groups across Germany to advance their own cause between 1517 and 1531?

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Lula Teunissen                07/05/07

How far was Luther’s message used by different groups across Germany to advance their own cause between 1517 and 1531?

Luther’s message was considered hugely radical during its time, eventually leading to a schism within the church, though this was clearly not Luther’s original aim (the 95 Theses indicate desire for reformation of the old Church, not development of a new one). Yet with the development of the printing press the message managed to reach and appeal to many different kinds of people throughout Germany. It was so appealing due to its focus on individual worship as opposed to dependence on the Church. The ideas of Sola Fide (salvation by faith alone), Sola Scriptura (the importance of the word of God, given through the bible) and priesthood of all believers (the idea that every person was in charge of their own beliefs and did not need a priest to act on their behalf) were inviting because they returned to the root of Christianity. The message appealed to the growing anti papal and anti clerical feelings in society that were emerging due to the corruption of the Church, for example the selling of indulgences. Luther’s message became popular because he was bringing back the fundamental Christian doctrines that were evident in Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament. Hence the message appeared pure within the surroundings of the Church’s immorality, and its focus on individualism suited various types of people for different reasons. Different groups interpreted it in various ways in order to suit their position in society and to advance their own cause, be it political, economic, social or religious.

Politically support of Luther’s message offered different groups independence, because it gave them a reason not to respect the authority of the church. This was particularly important to the knights, led by Ulrich Von Hutten. They desired a regain of political power and a return of Feudal order without the influence of the church. They recognised that there were similarities between Luther’s ideas and their own and that the popularity of Luther could be a useful tool in political propaganda. By circulating images of Luther and Von Hutten together (for example the woodcut ‘Champions of Christian liberty’ in 1521) the knights managed to reach large numbers of people and hence raise awareness of their cause. Using Luther’s image allowed them to associate themselves with his popularity, which increased the likelihood of support for their cause. The use of the image was particularly important as it meant that the message could be understood easily by everyone. It also meant that they did not have to define their cause exactly and risk people turning against them, the implication in the propaganda was that their cause was the same as Luther’s. Politically the knights used Luther’s message to a large extent to advance their own cause, depending on Luther’s view as a way of promoting their political desires through propaganda.

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In contrast to the knights the princes were already fairly independent and as a result were slow to make any official connections between themselves and Luther’s cause. Most did so in the late 1520s and early 1530s, for example Philip of Hesse, John of Saxony and Albrecht of Prussia all officially adopted Lutheranism around this time. Doing so allowed them to increase their political power due to growing independence from Rome, and in this way adopting Luther’s message was advantageous to them, they could use it to boost their political importance. They used Luther’s message to some extent to advance ...

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