Martin Luther

Since my senior year of high school I have been fascinated by Martin Luther. Having no religion of my own, I found it odd that I was drawn to a religious founder. However, no matter how many times I have learned about Martin Luther I have not failed to be captivated by his story. Now, after studying German in high school and college, the impact that he had on the language and the country has become ever more apparent. While the country of Germany was not in existence while Martin Luther was alive, it is because of him that Germany began to become unified as a country. By translating the bible into German, Luther gave the people occupying the Holy Roman Empire a common language to speak. I believe this decision has had more impact on Germany than Luther’s nailing of the ninety-five theses to the Wittenberg church door. Religion can only unite so many people. It may be part of a culture but it does not separate one nation from another of the same religion. Nor does it unite people of the same nation. Language gives a nation identity. Had Martin Luther instead translated Dante’s Divine Comedy, he may not have had the same impact. Luther’s use of the most widely read book allowed a national language to be created.

- Martin Luther's translated Bible.

-Martin Luther.

While I believe Martin Luther’s impact on the German language was more important that the religious repercussions that occurred because of his ninety-five theses, the effect of the theses still played an important role in the creation of the German nation. Protestantism created a rift between the Holy Roman Empire (HRE) and the Papacy. Where before the Catholic church would have played a larger role in the politics of the HRE, now the HRE had more control over its nation. This independence allowed for Germany to develop its own culture, less influenced by the catholic church than it might have been if Luther had not written his theses. The effects of the Protestant and catholic split can still be seen in modern day Germany. Different forms of architecture are used in predominantly catholic regions than those used in predominantly Protestant regions. The same can be said for religious holidays.

The effects of Luther, his ninety-five theses and his translation of the bible into German have helped make Germany what it is today.

- A depiction of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg.

Warum denke ich, dass der Heiliges Römisches Reich sehr wichtig für Deutschland war.

The nation of Germany did not come into existence until much more modern times than countries such as France and England. However, the foundations of the German state can be found in the Holy Roman Empire (HRE). The HRE reached farther North, West, South and East than modern day Germany but it still encompassed the same principalities that came together to form a unified nation. Due to the size of the HRE, it would have been hard for the people we call Germans to identify with their emperor and their nation. Many dialects were spoken and different cultural aspects were practiced, yet, these people all lived under one ruler. While the HRE governed nations that would not make up modern day Germany, it started to organize all of the smaller principalities in the German region that would one day form one larger nation. The idea of Germany was born with the HRE.

When Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I created the principle of cuius regio, eius religio, he allowed for the legal spread of Protestantism. Martin Luther’s became more widely accepted and, consequently, a German language was formed. When Luther translated the Bible from Latin to German, he created a basic German dialect that soon became the most widely spoken form of German because people wanted to speak the language of the Bible. Due to the growth of Protestantism in the HRE, the empire was able to develop its culture away from the influence of Catholicism and its Pope. While the southern regions of the HRE remained mainly Catholic, the northern parts identified with Protestantism. This separation gave the future Germans a language of their own and an identity separate from the Catholic realm.

- A picture of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Although the boundaries of the HRE are largely different than those of modern day Germany, the empire played a huge role laying the foundations for a German state.

-A map of the Holy Roman Empire in 1530.

-This is what modern day Germany looks like. Compared to the HRE, it is smaller.

Warum will ich nach Deutschland fliegen?

As a German student at NCC, I knew I would want to travel to Germany during my academic career even though it is not required of my major. On a previous trip with my family I had travelled to Köln (Cologne), Heidelberg, Mannheim and Stuttgart and I was hoping to travel to a city I had not been to. Traveling to Germany during the D-term would allow me to experience a different region of the country and become acquainted with some of the cultural aspects. I have never been to eastern Germany before, although I have studied Berlin particularly on multiple occasions in my German classes.

-This is a map of Germany with all of the German states and their German names.

My dream is to teach German at the high school level, and to teach a language one has to understand the culture. It is one thing to learn about the culture in a textbook and another to experience it in person. This trip will allow me to do so. It will also allow me to improve my understanding of the German language. I am hoping that being surrounded by the language will help my comprehension and I am planning on using my German at every possible chance I get.

One thing that will help my comprehension of German is understanding the foundations of the language. We will be visiting some cities that have played a huge role in the foundation of the German language. In high school I learned about Martin Luther for the very first time. I was fascinated by what he did for Germany (even though it was not known by that name at the time he lived) and the Germany language. When I saw that this trip would take us to Wittenberg, I realized that I would be visiting the town that was occupied by one of my favorite historical figures. Since we are traveling in Germany mainly during December, I will be able to experience cultural aspects such as the Kristkindlmarkt, while continuing to learn about historical cultural influences.

-Here is a picture of a Kristkindlmarkt in Berlin.

-The city of Wittenberg, Germany now called Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany.

Another area of German culture that interests me is the different types of architecture used in buildings. In my German 203 class we learned about architecture and how it was influenced by the historical periods it was used in as well as events and religions that were prominent in the area that the building was built. This subject has remained one of my most favorite aspects of German culture that I have studied and I am looking forward to specifically visiting different churches and cathedrals to examine their architecture.