Personally, one of the most interesting (and one of my favorite) points in German history is Martin Luther and his role in the Reformation. I love this time period because Martin Luther was an incredibly interesting man and his ability to make such an impact in German history fascinates me. Luther was a man with amazing integrity and talent. A witty and intelligent man, Luther started his journey when he decided to change his profession from becoming a Juror to a Monk. There in the monastery, Luther found aspects of himself that he never thought would ever exist. For example, he found himself through the eyes of God and the Devil. His religious understandings led him to be able to learn information about the corruption of the Church and State through their use of 'der Ablass'. Wealthy and powerful individuals throughout the Holy Roman Empire were selling the 'Ablass' by convincing the common people that it was their ticket into heaven and ticket to avoid purgatory. The money collected was used to fund the building of various churches and other establishments around the country. Luther found no reason against their use of the funds to erect these buildings, but for the church's way of getting their money. Luther, who found his love for being a Monk tarnished, went on to become a professor. This, in turn, led Luther to eventually create his 95 Thesis, then eventually led the church to attempt to excommunicate him. What I love is that Luther stood up for his beliefs and burned his official excommunication letter in front of his students. Later, he traveled to meet with all the officials of the Holy Roman Empire. They attempted to have him retract his books and statements, which, once again Luther refused to do.
For some reason, something led the leader of the Holy Roman Empire to allow Luther to live. His decision amazes me because I initially assumed that he would condemn Luther to die. But, this led Luther to his kidnapping and eventual transition to life at the Wartburg Castle. There Luther worked on his greatest achievement: rewriting the Bible into German, thus establishing a single language for communication among the entire country. His actions, though started the 30 years war, allowed Germany to find a commonplace amongst a language, eventually leading to their eventual coming-together as its own country.
The story of Luther fascinates me because the ideas, abilities and confidence led one man to, all at once, tear apart and rebuild Germany into a country that is proud to call itself a single name. The citizens of the Holy Roman Empire were able to come together with a language written in their main belief - the Bible. Luther was an incredibly accomplished man, who rewrote a whole new history and stamped himself into the faith and love of countless people around Europe. He stood up for his beliefs, never backed down, and won his right to not only live, but bring together a country that never started as one culture.
Germany, however, was unfinished with their consistency in division amongst the country. The tensions left over from the war spread into divisions among various religions, cultures, and kingdoms that refused to give up their wealth and power. Although Luther did manage to unite the country through a single language, his actions still led to more and more fighting and division. What interests me is how many times Germany fought and struggled from within to come out standing the proud people they are today. Various leaders have come and gone throughout the country's history and have led the Germans to lead lives that reflect what they have been through to get where they are today.
