Martin Luther was born in Germany in a town called Eisleben. He studied to become a lawyer according to his father’s wishes. In 1507, Martin Luther was ordained as a priest. Between the years of 1513 to 1517, Martin Luther studies several books of the bible and he acknowledges that faith was a gift from God. In 1516, martin criticized Pope Leo X for selling indulgences. This motivated Martin Luther to write a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz in Germany. The letter was later referred to as The 95 Theses. This letter made the catholic clergy intervene and in 1518, Martin was interviewed and told to recant his views on indulgences and papal infallibility.
In the outcome of the case, Pope Leo X excommunicated Martin from the Church after Martin Luther had publicly burnt the papal bull. Martin filed an appeal to Caesar requesting his case to be heard as the ecclesiastical authorities were under the jurisdiction of the state.
The outcome of the appeal was that Charles V received the appeal by Martin Luther and tore it apart. However, after a while, Charles V reconsidered his position and gave Luther an appeal. The result of the appeal was that Martin Luther was declared an outlaw and a warrant of arrest were provided. Martin’s literature was also banned as a result of the appeal.
According to Charles V, sheltering Luther was a crime and the Edict permitted anyone to kill Luther with no sentence. During this trial, “a new socio-economic system of capitalism was being born” (De and Grood 3). The trial was significant in that Luther gave the peasant farmers a platform to revolt against the authorities.
The verdict was a reasonable one at the time since Martin Luther was judged to be misleading the Catholic congregations and the influence Martin had on the peasant farmers encouraged defiance of authority at the time.
After the case was over, Martin Luther condemned the revolt against the authorities and upper classes by the German peasants. Martin also published a translation of his bible to German after getting married. This led to the spread of Lutheranism especially in Scandinavian countries. This had a significant impact on the Catholic Church, and a series of reforms were undertaken.
This case was included in the website as it served as a critical turning point from the Roman Catholic Church to Lutheranism. The case also portrays the different ways in which law and religion can lead to conflict.
Works cited
De, Grood D. H. Dialectics and Revolution. Amsterdam: Grüner, 1979. Print.
"The Trial of Martin Luther (1521)." The Trial of Martin Luther (1521). Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/luther/lutherhome.html>.
