
A German priest, theologian, and key figure of the Protestant Reformation who challenged the Catholic Church's practices.
Một linh mục, nhà thần học người Đức và nhân vật chủ chốt của Cải cách Tin Lành, người đã thách thức các thực hành của Giáo hội Công giáo.
This biography of Martin Luther helps you learn English through real historical stories. Explore Martin Luther's impact on the world.
Martin Luther was born in 1483 in Eisleben, Germany. His father, a prosperous copper miner, wanted him to become a lawyer. Luther began studying law but experienced a life-changing event in 1505 when he was caught in a terrifying thunderstorm. Fearing for his life, he vowed to become a monk if he survived. True to his word, he abandoned his legal studies and entered an Augustinian monastery, where he devoted himself to fasting, long hours in prayer, and constant confession.
Despite his strict monastic life, Luther felt a deep sense of spiritual inadequacy. Through his study of the Bible, he came to believe that salvation is a gift from God received through faith alone, not through good works or purchasing indulgences (certificates that supposedly reduced punishment for sins). In 1517, outraged by the corrupt sale of indulgences by the Catholic Church, Luther drafted his famous "95 Theses"—a list of arguments and critiques—and famously nailed them to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Thanks to the newly invented printing press, his ideas spread like wildfire across Europe.
Luther's bold defiance sparked the Protestant Reformation, permanently fracturing Western Christianity. In 1521, he was excommunicated by the Pope and summoned before the Holy Roman Emperor at the Diet of Worms. Commanded to recant his writings, Luther famously refused, stating that his conscience was captive to the Word of God. He was declared an outlaw but was protected by sympathetic German princes. While in hiding, he translated the New Testament into everyday German, making the Bible accessible to ordinary people for the first time. He died in 1546, leaving a legacy that profoundly reshaped religious, cultural, and political history.