Martin Luther

Independent activity 1483–1546 ○ Natural causes

German theologian whose Ninety-five Theses opened the Reformation

Born in 1483 at Eisleben in the Holy Roman Empire, he became an Augustinian friar, was ordained priest in 1507 and taught theology at the University of Wittenberg, taking the chair of theology in 1512. In 1517 his Ninety-five Theses against indulgences and papal authority set off a Europe-wide debate. He burned the papal bull demanding his recantation, was excommunicated in 1521 and was declared an outlaw by Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms. He taught that a person is justified by faith, not works, and that the Bible alone reveals the Gospel, denying the authority of pope and bishops. His German Bible shaped the standard German language, and his marriage to the former nun Katharina von Bora set a model for clerical marriage. In his last years he wrote calling for the expulsion of Jews. He died in 1546.