Podcast "History of the Germans from the Middle Ages to Reunification"
In June and July 1519, Martin Luther finally got the open debate he had been demanding, and it went badly for him. Johannes Eck, the formidable Ingolstadt theologian, used a quarrel with Luther's colleague Andreas Karlstadt to lure Luther to Leipzig, onto the territory of Duke George of Saxony.This episode follows how the debate came about despite Rome's efforts to prevent it, the theatrics of the Wittenbergers' arrival, and how Eck steered Luther away from indulgences and towards papal authority. Pushed into a corner, Luther declared that some of Jan Hus's condemned teachings were "Christian and evangelical", and so that even a church council could err. In Leipzig that made him a Hussite and a heretic, and it turned Duke George into his implacable foe.And yet Luther came out of it stronger. His pamphlets outsold Eck's, humanist satire made Eck a laughing stock, and the bull Exsurge Domine condemned him without arguing from scripture. With no way back, Luther began to link his fight with the papacy to his own search for a merciful God, which is where the Reformation proper begins.Chapter0:00 | Introduction: Lyndal Roper on Leipzig1:24 | Supporting the show2:48 | After Augsburg: Luther a de facto prisoner in Saxony6:55 | Enter Johannes Eck, Luther's nemesis9:41 | Rome plays for time: Karl von Miltitz and the imperial election11:42 | Eck goes after Karlstadt14:47 | Finding a venue: why Leipzig18:57 | A football derby of the mind19:45 | The Wittenbergers arrive (and Karlstadt lands in the mud)24:04 | Eck versus Karlstadt on free will25:12 | Luther's turn: Matthew 16:18 and the power of the popes28:40 | Eck plays the Hus card30:22 | "Some of Hus's theses are Christian and evangelical"34:54 | The battle of the pamphlets37:49 | Brand Luther: the economics of short pamphlets40:51 | Humanist satire and the demolition of Eck43:03 | Exsurge Domine44:51 | Luther's reaction: the papacy as Antichrist47:04 | How Rome pushed Luther towards the Reformation49:11 | The other struggle: sinner and God51:15 | Next time and related episodesBooks and sourcesLyndal Roper, Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet (London: Bodley Head, 2016). Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (New York and Nashville: Abingdon-Cokesbury, 1950). The portrait of Eck's Andrew Pettegree, Brand Luther: 1517, Printing, and the Making of the Reformation (New York: Penguin Press, 2015). Heinz Schilling, Martin Luther: Rebel in an Age of Upheaval, translated by Rona Johnston (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017). Volker Leppin, Martin Luther: A Late Medieval Life (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic). ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 12.11.2026
Dauer: 00:52:09
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Ep. 244: Martin Luther #6 - The Leipzig Disputation"
In August 1518, Pope Leo X wrote to Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, and demanded that he hand over “a son of iniquity”, Brother Martin Luther. A few weeks later Luther was on the road to Augsburg to face Cardinal Cajetan. It was arguably the most dangerous moment of his life, more dangerous even than Worms.This episode follows how Luther got there and how close he came to the stake:Fame: four groups (imperial reformers, humanists, friars and ordinary readers) each saw their own Luther.Foes: the Dominicans, Johannes Eck, Luther’s old Erfurt teachers and, finally, the full weight of the Roman Church.Friends: Melanchthon, Karlstadt, Cranach and Spalatin.The Fat Marmot: a portrait of Frederick the Wise, the cautious, pious and remarkably peaceable prince who held Luther’s fate in his hands.Augsburg: Luther’s meetings with Cajetan, one of the sharpest theologians of his age, and how they ended in shouting.Flight: Luther’s escape through a gate in the city wall at night, and his discovery that Rome had condemned him before he was ever heard.The final hour: a farewell dinner in Wittenberg on 1 December 1518, and two letters from the Elector that changed the course of the Reformation.Further readingArmin Kohnle, Friedrich der Weise (2024)Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin LutherSupport the show: History of the Germans is advertising-free thanks to listeners like you. Become a member at historyofthegermans.com/support. ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 29.10.2026
Dauer: 00:52:23
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Ep. 243: Fame, Friends, Foes and a Fat Marmot (Martin Luther #5)"
n spring 1518 Martin Luther assured Pope Leo X that he was a dutiful son of the Church. But was he still one? The 95 Theses were the perfect opening salvo: provocative, popular and, crucially, not obviously heretical. Archbishop Albrecht’s own theologians in Mainz refused to condemn them and passed the problem on to Rome. Then Luther did something new: he wrote the Sermon on Indulgences and Grace in punchy German for ordinary readers. It became an early bestseller and helped create a mass market for public debate in print. Tetzel’s Dominicans hit back with counter-theses, which Wittenberg students promptly burned. Leo X tried to deal with it inside the Augustinian order, but at Heidelberg Luther’s brothers cheered him instead. There he set out his theology of the cross and denied that fallen humans can earn salvation by their own free will. After a defiant sermon on excommunication, Rome turned to the papal theologian Prierias, whose verdict was simple: whoever questions the pope is a heretic. A summons to Rome followed, and a lone friar now faced the full weight of the papacy. ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 15.10.2026
Dauer: 00:39:34
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Ep. 242: A Drunken German Lights a Fire"
What if the most famous story of the Reformation has some massive holes? Was Tetzel really a snake oil salesman? Was Albrecht of Brandenburg and the Fuggers really after the indulgence contracts? Were the Germans been ripped off by the papacy more than anyone else? Who could believe that there is still room for new perspectives on this event? ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 01.10.2026
Dauer: 00:42:16
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Ep. 241: The 95 Theses – More Cockup than Conspiracy."
In this episode we will look at the first 35 years of Martin Luther’s life, from his birth in 1483 to a moment sometime between 1512 and 1519 when he achieved his great theological breakthrough. This is a crucial period in the history of the Reformation, a time when Luther struggled with what he called his “Anfechtungen”. Anfechtungen is one of these untranslatable German words like Schadenfreude and Gemütlichkeit. It is something more than a trial or tribulation, more of an existential assault on faith itself — an overwhelming, often visceral experience of doubt, terror, and despair before God, in which the sinner feels utterly exposed to divine judgment and abandoned by grace. Sounds quite painful. It was these “Anfechtungen” that brought about the cornerstone of his creed, that salvation is to be obtained through faith alone. It is the story how Protestantism is born in the head of just one man. ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 17.09.2026
Dauer: 00:49:08
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "Ep. 240 Martin Luther - His Youth and His "Anfechtungen""
On 31 October 1517, an Augustinian monk carried 95 theses through the streets of Wittenberg — whether to nail them to the castle church door, post them by letter, or send them to the printers remains disputed. Within two months they had spread across the Empire and beyond and the world was never the same again...In this first episode of the new season we look at the world Martin Luther grew up in, what common people like him experienced in life - mostly godawful things - and how that shaped their worldview and religious leanings.We will talk about onion-shaped societies, ancient prophecies of an age of bliss, the importance of mass even if no-one gets communion, the benefits of purgatory, pilgrimages and lots more...The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFor do it yourself merchandise go to: Merchandise • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.So far I have:The OttoniansSalian Emperors and Investiture ControversyFredrick Barbarossa and Early HohenstaufenFrederick II Stupor MundiSaxony and Eastward ExpansionThe Hanseatic LeagueThe Teutonic KnightsThe Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356The Reformation before the ReformationThe Empire in the 15th centuryThe Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs
Erschienen: 03.09.2026
Dauer: 34:40
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The Reformation! The Faith of the Common People"
Who had the most lasting impact on Europe? Marx? Napoleon? Darwin? Einstein? Or was it Martin Luther?
Erschienen: 31.08.2026
Dauer: 03:38
Weitere Informationen zur Episode "The Most Consequential Figure in European History?"
Today we celebrate the topping out of the Habsburg empire. By the middle of the 16th century it reached its furthest extent as a political entity ruled by one man. Over the last 42 episodes we have seen this family of minor counts playing their game of snakes and ladders until they had amassed lordships over Austria, the Netherlands, Spain and large parts of Italy. Today we look at how they finally got hold of the last bits, Bohemia and Hungary.The story features a dutiful younger brother, the most cruel execution I have ever heard of, a foolish duke and an even more foolish king, the collapse of a kingdom, a love story and the reason for the incessant Habsburg inbreeding. I hope that will be enough to fill the last episode of this season.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFor do it yourself merchandise go to: Merchandise • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.So far I have:The OttoniansSalian Emperors and Investiture ControversyFredrick Barbarossa and Early HohenstaufenFrederick II Stupor MundiSaxony and Eastward ExpansionThe Hanseatic LeagueThe Teutonic KnightsThe Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356The Reformation before the ReformationThe Empire in the 15th centuryThe Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 21.05.2026
Dauer: 00:53:14
Today we celebrate the topping out of the Habsburg empire. By the middle of the 16th century it reached its furthest extent as a political entity ruled by one man. Over the last 42 episodes we have seen this family of minor counts playing their game of snakes and ladders until they had amassed lordships over Austria, the Netherlands, Spain and large parts of Italy. Today we look at how they finally got hold of the last bits, Bohemia and Hungary.The story features a dutiful younger brother, the most cruel execution I have ever heard of, a foolish duke and an even more foolish king, the collapse of a kingdom, a love story and the reason for the incessant Habsburg inbreeding. I hope that will be enough to fill the last episode of this season.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFor do it yourself merchandise go to: Merchandise • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.So far I have:The OttoniansSalian Emperors and Investiture ControversyFredrick Barbarossa and Early HohenstaufenFrederick II Stupor MundiSaxony and Eastward ExpansionThe Hanseatic LeagueThe Teutonic KnightsThe Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356The Reformation before the ReformationThe Empire in the 15th centuryThe Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs
Erschienen: 21.05.2026
Dauer: 53:14
We are coming closer to the end of our series on the Fall and Rise of the House of Habsburg. We have seen the reconsolidation of Austria, the acquisition of Burgundy, the inheritance of Spain and today, we will look at the last stages of the Italian wars. This conflict, kicked off by king Charles VIII in 1494 had given “rise to changes of dominions, subversion of kingdoms, desolation of countries, destruction of cities and the cruellest massacres, but also new fashions, new customs, new and bloody ways of waging warfare, and diseases which had been unknown to that time”. Many players of this game had exited stage left and it was now just France and the Habsburgs in various alliances with the remaining Italian powers, who fought for control. The War of the League of Cognac, 1526 to 1530 was when brutality reached its zenith with the Sacco di Roma, the Sack of Rome that brought back the specter of the Vandals.A lot of drama to get through.The music for the show is Flute Sonata in E-flat major, H.545 by Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach (or some claim it as BWV 1031 Johann Sebastian Bach) performed and arranged by Michel Rondeau under Common Creative Licence 3.0.As always:Homepage with maps, photos, transcripts and blog: www.historyofthegermans.comIf you wish to support the show go to: Support • History of the Germans PodcastFor do it yourself merchandise go to: Merchandise • History of the Germans PodcastFacebook: @HOTGPod Threads: @history_of_the_germans_podcastBluesky: @hotgpod.bsky.socialInstagram: history_of_the_germansTwitter: @germanshistoryTo make it easier for you to share the podcast, I have created separate playlists for some of the seasons that are set up as individual podcasts. they have the exact same episodes as in the History of the Germans, but they may be a helpful device for those who want to concentrate on only one season.So far I have:The OttoniansSalian Emperors and Investiture ControversyFredrick Barbarossa and Early HohenstaufenFrederick II Stupor MundiSaxony and Eastward ExpansionThe Hanseatic LeagueThe Teutonic KnightsThe Holy Roman Empire 1250-1356The Reformation before the ReformationThe Empire in the 15th centuryThe Fall and Rise of the Habsburgs ★ Support this podcast ★
Erschienen: 14.05.2026
Dauer: 00:36:15
