Martin Luther, the Reformation and the nation | DW Documentary

initially Martin Luther was only calling for a renewal of the church and its faith but the Pope and the Emperor saw him as a threat and he was demonized by both [Music] an overwhelming majority of the population at home supported him would Martin Luther divide or unite the Germans [Music] April the 16th 1521 it looked like a reenactment of Palm Sunday in Jerusalem a man branded a heretic by the church celebrated like the Messiah in the German city of forms where their brother Martin we could still turn back [Music] [Applause] and if death itself were awaiting me I would not turn back given each dawn Martin Luther on his way to the Imperial diet of wands an assembly at the Holy Roman Empire on German soil an event that would change the course of history never before had a man of the people excited such enthusiasm ordinary people peasants and members of the lower aristocracy in particular put their hopes in this month from Edinburgh even if the Pope and the Emperor were against him Martin Luther knew the people of Germany were on his side [Applause] he was celebrated like a victor but his biggest test was still to come would he remain steadfast much you're taking a difficult path I wouldn't want to be in your shoes I know [Music] peekaboo deceit anger started a song and now it might prove too high for my voice sawed-off in the chairs of support did nothing to relieve his anxiety what would be contested behind these doors wasn't a matter of who had the right faith for Luther it was a matter of life and death Germany in the early sixteenth century did not exist as a United political entity territorial Prince's ruled over their own regions that the 10 million German speakers one in 10 lived in towns the rest in the countryside [Music] the dominant belief was one of a god-given order of rulers and the ruled one Empire one faith one Emperor it was the idea that held the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation together but it was beginning to unravel at first Luther only criticized abusive practices of the church nepotism corruption and waste but then he publicly rejected any intermediary Authority between man and God [Music] he singled out the dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church who he said behaved like princes rather than priests for luther only the bible was infallible luther accused God's representatives on earth of hubris after Lea the tenth was crowned Pope in 1513 he was more an arts patron than an ecclesiastical leader holding court with pomp and extravagance to underline his power and glory this Pope from the powerful medici family wasn't interested in theology since God has given us the papacy he said let us enjoy it Leo transformed Rome into a cultural center and political power but he depleted the papal treasury in the process he commissioned a massive renovation of sin Peter's Basilica in the Vatican to pay for it Leo encouraged the sale of indulgences an exemption from punishment for sins luther maintained only the mercy of Jesus could absolve sin not money the only path to salvation was faith not deeds his 95 theses attacking corrupt Church practices were quickly circulated across the country the Pope threatened Luther with excommunication but Luther responded by publicly burning the bull a humble monk motivated solely by his conscience the Reformation was triggered by the dispute over indulgences Luther was convinced that believers were being duped and that their salvation was in jeopardy Kitaj Vardhan he believed the indulgences were lulling people into a false sense of security with disastrous consequences he hired vegan deacons and kapha tallest by the time Luther was summoned to the diet of warmth the Pope had already branded him a heretic he was given the opportunity to recant before the Emperor princes and Nobles of the Empire if he did not he faced an imperial ban and death decision day had arrived he must recant Luther must recant or he'll burn unless he finds powerful supporters Luther already had Frederick the wise elector of Saxony had watched his rebellious subjects popularity grow and he sympathized with Luther's criticisms of the Roman Catholic Church he will rouse the Emperor's Roth one way or another but at the Emperor's Roth and the Roth of God artists Frederick the wise was powerful he was one of seven electors in the Empire who chose the Emperor the others were the margrave of brandenburg the king of bohemia the count Palatine of the Rhine and the Archbishop's of Cologne mice and tria [Music] any candidate for King and Emperor had to make concessions to the powerful princes that also was true of the Habsburg Emperor Charles the fifth who was elected in 1519 the nerve Ivan his election wasn't without controversy there was opposition and skepticism he cool here the Roman Curia had a different candidate there were very strong reservations because of his immensely powerful position and there was prejudice against him he was viewed as a foreigner in the empire over which he now presided as Kaiser for washed-up the Habsburg Emperor was unfamiliar with Germany and its people even as ruler of the world he could not override the German princes the image he cultivated wasn't just posturing Charles was right in saying the Sun never set on his empire his prayer book has survived to this day it doesn't just testify to the Habsburg rulers piety one page depicts the most powerful man on earth kneeling at the feet of a guardian angel the page shows signs of wear and tear an indication perhaps of the young Emperor's insecurity as a devout Catholic Charles was determined to silence the heretic from Wittenberg but the German princes forced him to hear Luther out [Music] the Emperor who spoke no German was represented at the diet of forms by the Archbishop of Trias legal advisor the Empire's top tier were witnesses to an unequal duel a German David against a supremely powerful Goliath we're gathered here to put an end to the blasphemous lies spread by dr. Martin Luther from Wittenberg with heretic zeal he has cast doubts on faithful authority his writings questioned the authority of the church and in so doing he has destroyed the unity of all Christians Martin Luther Martin Luther are you ready to recant your life's and errors here and now even Luther's powerful supporters advised him to recant no one can deny that through the Pope's laws the consciences of the faithful have been most pitifully troubled and also that the possessions of the German nation have been devoured by unbelievable tyranny if then I recant the only effect will be to add strength to such tyranny to open not the windows but the main doors to such blasphemy [Music] [Music] Benedikt unless I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture or by clear reason I cannot and will not recant anything [Music] so help me God amen [Music] Luthor's appearance before the diet of forms went down in history as a turning point in European history but Luther didn't have the benefit of hindsight he dared to stand up to the most powerful man on the planet perhaps because he knew he wasn't alone Luda einar Luther knew he had a far-reaching social reform movement behind him and that enabled him to act the way he did in forms in forms in the towns he had the support of the middle class the intellectual elite associated with the humanists as well as to a degree the backing of the Imperial Knights and a portion of the clergy supported him to entired his clears all this coincided with the calculated use of a nascent power the media the battle to shape public opinion began in forms it was the first propaganda war in European history fought by followers and opponents of the reformer the friar from a German backwater became an international household name one placed on an equal footing with the Pope in the fight for the one true faith thousands of Flyers were printed some portrayed Luther is a saint stuffing the greedy mouth of the Roman demon others portrayed him as a divider and a messenger of the devil as a satanic heretic doomed and Damned this visual propaganda in the form of caricatures also reached people who couldn't read [Music] in the battle for hearts and minds Luthor's supporters made headway but ultimately it was up to the Emperor to pass judgment on the reformer the Habsburg ruler made his position on Luther clear since the king of the Germans didn't speak German he composed it in French first you understand what he's saying you don't need to understand French to know he has it in for Luther no time in Canton you're concerned about him whatever the Empress planned it can only end one way he wants to see Luther burn but to do that he has to get him first in the Edict of forms Charles the fifth declared Luther an enemy of the church and state he upheld a previously issued guarantee of safe conduct but as soon as it expired Luther was to be arrested and punished would it come to that [Music] Luther set off to return to Vinton burg but the journey was interrupted what was that hunters Jaeger [Music] yes and I know who they're hunting to young deep in the woods horsemen ambush Luthor's carriage monkey goons in they don't want you Luther had been briefed on the plan what looked like a kidnapping was in fact a rescue operation to prevent the implementation of the Edict of Vance the reformer was bundled off to a secret location implementing the Edict of forms it was difficult for the under from a legal perspective he had no executive organs to enforce it he depended on the willingness of the regional princess to publish the edict and enforce it in their territory I'd shaft and understand Jesus it naturally Frederick the wise had no such intention foolish photos devised a doctor garnished on Luther's princely protect her had different plans Frederick the wise hid the reformer at vaudeville castle near eisenach in his area of jurisdiction as a territorial Prince the elector of saxony made use of his autonomy to secretly defy the emperor the persecuted reformer was given a comfortable room in vaudeville castle he was to want for nothing [Music] though forced into hiding Luther had not been silenced his writings spread across Europe faced with an unknown period of confinement Luther decided to make good use of his time he adopted a pseudonym young Kirk and changed his appearance and he began a revolutionary work a translation of the Bible into German Luther wanted the Word of God to be accessible to everyone including lay readers he rejected Church doctrine that maintained the Pope was the sole authoritative interpreter of Scripture his followers would come to be called evangelical from the Latin and German words for gospel it took me that just a few weeks to complete his translation of the New Testament into German a new communications technology gave him fast access to a wide audience the printing press [Music] the individual letters were cast back to front laid out in galleys and fixed in position the ink was made of linseed oil and soot a formula which produced pages that haven't faded in centuries the sheet was printed in the press this device later lent its name to an entire branch of media the press [Music] at the start of the sixteenth century there were 400 printing facilities in the german-speaking world Melchior Lotta's print shop in fittin burg was the first to publish Luther's New Testament in September 15 22 with 66 reprints the work had had a run of a hundred thousand copies by 1525 it was the first bestseller in German history Luther's translation wasn't always literal he used everyday language with colloquial turns of phrase the New Testament and German our translation by Martin Luther traveling booksellers offered Luther's Bible for sale at markets demand was huge can you read yes then read [Music] either cut the sample come and listen listen to what he's reading the New Testament in Germany at a time of widespread illiteracy reading out loud was a common practice once a to Vedas forget i leaked indian goddess custom on feel elisha leak from feline orders come either arm of its fur obliquely knots my words of the bible in the language of the germans gosh these are good and of and and you nicked up Luther's translation of the complete Bible was published in German in 1524 an original copy is preserved in the anna amalia library in Vemma [Music] Luthor's work had a profound impact on the development of the German language the author dedicated it to his protector the elector of Saxony his Bible led to a standardization of the German language which in turn fostered a stronger sense of common identity among German speakers [Music] Luthor's Bible translation didn't just serve to strengthen the sense of community within the Protestant movement it also had a long-term impact on the German nation as a whole document his language became the language of literature interestingly and unbeknownst to them Catholics were also impacted by this development if it happened behind their back so to speak never faster it wasn't just the Bible that spread from Vinton bag but so too did Luther's Reformation teachings neither would have been possible without the protection of the saxon prince but Frederick the wise never fully embraced Luther's teachings and remained a Catholic all his life holed up at vaudeville Castle Luther was aware of the debt he owed the prince for his protection he will send you that in return the elector expected Luther's loyalty that loyalty was put to the test by a development that shook wide swaths of german-speaking Europe and brought those regions to the brink of outright Civil War [Applause] a bloody uprising staged by peasants demanding greater rights and freedom encouraged by Luther's Reformation ideas they used his arguments to justify their revolt the peasants war posed a deep dilemma for Luther should he stay true to his conscience or to his princely protector [Music] the peasants war panorama in Franken Heusen is one of the largest paintings in the world in great detail it depicts the first revolution on German soil emboldened by the religious reform movement the peasants sought to overthrow the feudal system under which they were bound to the estates of noblemen and forced to give up most of what they produced the revolt was sparked by opposition to new taxes and duties on the German serfs and based on their interpretation of Scripture paying a tithe on the fruits of the earth had long been exacted on the peasant as a form of church tax but now the Lord sought to extend this payment to the possession of animals the tax collectors invoked divine law to justify their demands [Music] Luther's translation of the Bible into German allowed people to verify those demands by consulting scripture themselves [Music] it's a complete injustice to take a tithe for animals - how dare you doubt the right fulness of our actions those who possess livestock have to pay a theis from them - that's what it says in the Bible our parish priest clear vouchers for that job holders what for we've read it for ourselves in Luther the Bible says nothing of the sort watch yourself your loud mouth will undo you you will pay a tithe on all your animals either that or in coins and if you don't I'll see you in court were the Emperor the judge we would be as steadfast as dr. Luther extortionist many peasants refuse to continue tolerating such conditions Luther was their role model and the bun should be laced shoe the emblem of their revolt on when the conflict threatened to escalate the peasants called for Luther the reformer left is hiding place in vaudeville castle and travel to the rebels in the hope of defusing the situation [Applause] Luther had shown how to resist the authority of the Emperor and Pope both townspeople and peasants now wanted to follow his example I was asked if God spoke German yes I tell you yes yeah how else would he have understood your prayers God has understood them and he has answered them is that also true for the prayers of us peasants the peasants expected Luther to side with them got hurt octi but God also hears the business and he sees the injustice done to them ABBA but fighting injustice with injustice is not God's will it's the will of the devil Luther distanced himself from the peasants when violence broke out in May 1525 they also targeted members of the high nobility [Music] now it's your turn count you two will meet your judgment hasn't so be it go the bloodshed triggered a radical change of heart in Luther he now saw the devil at work and even appealed to the German princes to crush the peasants let whoever can stab strangle and kill them like Mad Dogs Luther described the war against the peasants as a battle against the forces of evil [Music] the decisive battle took place near Franken housing in Thuringia 6,000 peasants lost their lives Luther advocated the preservation of divinely appointed authority to secure his Reformation he sacrificed the peasants [Music] [Music] the end of a people's hero the peasants and the reformer were not seeking the same types of freedom the cause of fog outside the core issue at the time was the term freedom the term had different meanings for different players Luther it meant first and foremost the freedom of a Christian who Doradus in acid for the peasants it meant the freedom from Jews and bondage vittatus for the princes it was the political freedom to rule their territories and it was a similar story for the town magistrate historian and envious of foolish tetris mugger started one man's freedom was another man's loss Catholic property was lost to the church wherever rulers adopted the new faith in out cellar saxony the monastery was disbanded the building turned into a quarry it was a fate the Augustinian priori and Vidhan burg was spared the elector of saxony gave the property to his famous subject Martin Luther and his new family in June 1525 Martin Luther married the former nun catalina font bora the reformer had called for the abolition of celibacy in his earliest writings [Music] [Applause] [Music] Luther's married life was not untouched by political upheaval my bed is no lectern and my bedroom no library just these last lines it's urgent people are waiting at 42 the former monk became the master of his own household and a happy husband God gave me cater and I don't want to give her up not for France nor for Venice is leant over already by dr. Luther himself is supposed to have said twice a week Lent or not oh well then it must be right Catalina and Martin Luther founded an institution vasee clerical marriage had a tremendous impact on cultural history because it effectively ended religions demonization of sexuality for toi furlong their sexuality masters are also made of flesh and blood does it mention that message was a bombshell oft do you not just for Luther's contemporary I want nobody inside Kinnison anguish lagna sin Obama the Reformation didn't just revolutionize family life with its emphasis on the sermon it also transformed religious services the core message is depicted above the altar of the church in Vinton burg salvation cannot be earned through good works sacraments or indulgences [Music] salvation is attained only through the grace of God there was no longer any intermediary between God and humankind neither a Pope nor a church Luther had paved the way to a new world order Charles v was determined to prevent its emergence after the Edict of Vons he'd left Germany to wage war on numerous fronts neglecting the struggle against the Reformation Protestantism spread now Charles decided to reassert his authority as the chief defender of Catholic christened him he would restore the old order one Emperor one Empire one Church [Music] [Applause] [Music] after the Pope agreed to crown him Emperor in Bologna in February 1530 Charles traveled to Germany with his army of mercenaries there was a renewed showdown with Luther's followers this time at the diet of Augsburg the Chancellor of saxony christian bayer spoke for the protestants your majesty in this document we have laid down the basic and doctrine of our faith the Lutheran's wanted a settlement for church unity it would suffice if there was agreement on the teaching of the gospel and administration of the sacraments they sought to sever their faith from the papal hierarchy and Rome [Music] but the confession of Alex Berg that laid down the core Lutheran doctrine was rejected by both the Emperor and the papal envoy the Emperor will study your new confession however he believes only the Roman Curia is qualified and entitled to compose states of this nature dim the text lacks any polemical antagonism with regard to the church in Rome and indeed if any text ever had a shot at facilitating an agreement it was the Augsburg confession they opted to don't you confess your Astana a lot of time has passed since forms the ideas are not confined to this book they are out there in the world Siddarth assumed his Majesty regrets not having eliminated the heretic and his ideas at once informs the Lutheran power is new that a confrontation with the Emperor was just a matter of time [Music] where deserves this document peace is within reach everyone may keep their faith wherever they are without feeling constrained or threatened Charles hope to turn back the clock he was ready for the battle against Protestant Prince's towns and land holders if necessary he would settle the Protestant challenge by force of arms his Majesty isn't afraid of war he gives you six months before his mercenaries enforce peace in Augsburg Charles reinstated the Edict of ORMs condemning Luther once again the Lutheran princes left a diet under protest and the noun Protestants was coined a label for their new political identity by the mid 16th century only the Bavarian heartlands parts of bohemia and austria as well as the territories to the west of the Rhine remained Roman Catholic the Pope had lost all influence across the rest of the Empire [Music] Luther himself had only been able to follow the events in Alps berg from afar there i stock is the diet ended without the protestants the news from Alex Berg was bleak it looks bad a military showdown was looming Luthor's life's work was in danger he had only wanted to reform the church but had garnered the wrath of the highest authorities he had wanted to liberate Christians but at fostered strife [Music] who knows what God wants and what plans he has for us Germans Martin Luther's sense that the conflict with the church and the Emperor was coming to a head a peaceful solution was not in sight this is the first map of Protestant Germany drawn up by the cartographer Sebastian Munster in the mid 16th century the borders between the principalities play as insignificant a role as the Holy Roman Empire but this vision was threatened by the specter of an empire about to strike back [Music] fearing the worst Protestants rally together in the town of SHM Alcala [Music] 18 princes and representatives from 28 towns in the Empire joined forces in a new defensive alliance [Music] they demanded the right to choose the religion in their own territories the document drawing up the shmuel Calva klieg in april 1547 the Alliance was put to the test Charles's troops approached the river Elbe from the West closing in on the unsuspecting forces of the Shmuel Celtic League encamped on the eastern bank [Music] the Protestants led by John Frederick of Saxony trusted in God I have news from the scouts the emperor has advanced as far as louder he has still have to cross the Elbe that by this time that skipped on site site Kanak time enough to prepare the warm welcome the emperor deserves right [Music] the Protestant army felt safe on the other side of the river which it deemed impossible for the Emperor's artillery [Music] but Charles was determined to take the initiative under cover of thick fog his soldiers forded the Elbe cut down the guards and secured a floating bridge if it succeeded the surprise attack would route the schmell celtic troops [Music] the men under elector john frederick trusted in god but the Emperor's troops banked on the element of surprise [Music] the stealthy attack caused panic among the forward Scouts of the SHM alcalde glee [Music] if they're here [Music] dressed in splendid armor Charles arrived wholly unexpected while most of his infantry had crossed the floating bridge the cavalry found a Ford higher up stream his defeat of the Protestants at the Battle of Muehlberger was decisive the portrait by Titian commemorating his victory had Charles reached his goal of returning Germany to the Empire's fold after his triumph on the battlefield the Emperor went on to capture the town where everything had begun Wittenberg but the man he had declared an enemy of the state was no longer alive the great reformer had died at the age of 62 one year before the Battle of Milberg in February 1546 a quarter of a century after the diet of forms the Emperor encountered the reformer again at Luther's tomb in the castle Church in Wittenberg [Music] the victorious Habsburg ruler wanted to see the grave of his adversary with his own eyes Dead or Alive he's a heritage and ketse mas he must burn should we get him out Charles was advised to dig up and burn the heretics bones I wage war with the living not the dead Luther's tomb was closed what remains Luther's long-term impact on Germany and the Germans is the cultural and more specifically the linguistic achievement which through his translation of the Bible had repercussions far beyond the Protestant territories he also had a political impact he supported the development of territorial states of early modernity and in this respect you could say that Luther advanced the federalization of Germany's deutschlands Wonga treatment Luther's vision of a new faith sowed division the church in Germany fractured into four good with the loss of church unity the old political order - was irretrievably lost princes towns and entire regions embraced Luther's doctrine yet the man who found refuge in fatberg castle left behind far more than a theological legacy martin luther's appearance in forms was a rallying cry not only for freedom of religion but also for freedom in secular affairs in germany and elsewhere his translation of the Bible laid the foundation for a nation bound together by a common language Luther was a unifier and a divider his legacy has shaped German history for five centuries [Music] you [Music] you

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Views: 1,059,387

Rating: 4.7253962 out of 5

Keywords: Documentary, Martin Luther, reformation, religion, Christianity, faith, Europe, church DW, Deutsche Welle

Id: 1qeRj_qfNM0

Length: 42min 51sec (2571 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 31 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/PrestoVivace]

From October 31, 1517 to the Diet of Worms Luther wrote what were to become the foundation documents of Protestantism:

95 Theses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xi49Wzyfc8

Letter To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stalMmqlRhg

On Concerning Christian Liberty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDCs_mK9i-c&t=46s

On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrIucTRAywc

[u/PrestoVivace]

In his biography of Frederick the Wise, Sam Wellman quotes the Prince's letter to Cajetan after his meeting with Luther in Augsburg, the one and only letter Frederick wrote to the Vatican concerning Luther: ... ... “We are sure you acted paternally toward Luther, but we understand the he was not shown sufficient cause to revoke. There are learned men in the universities who hold that his teaching has not shown to be unjust, unchristian, or heretical. The few who think so are jealous of his attainments. If we understood his doctrine to be impious or untenable, we would not defend it. Our whole purpose is to fulfill the office of a Christian prince … As for sending him to Rome or banishing him, that we will do only after he has been convicted of heresy. His offer to debate and submit to the judgment of the universities ought to be considered. He should be shown in what respect he is a heretic and not condemned in advance.” https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2VVU21DUFTCOY/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0758649177