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152117–18 April 1521 · Worms

Luther at the Diet of Worms

Anton von Werner's painting of Martin Luther standing before Emperor Charles V at the Diet of Worms
Archival image: Anton von Werner. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Summoned before Emperor Charles V and the princes of the Holy Roman Empire, Martin Luther refused to recant his writings against papal authority unless shown wrong by Scripture and reason. The Edict of Worms then declared him an outlaw, but Frederick of Saxony had him hidden at the Wartburg. His stand turned a dispute among theologians into a lasting split in western Christianity.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Heylshof gardenGarden on the site of the bishop's palace where Luther faced the emperor.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: Luther MonumentMonument of 1868 to Luther surrounded by earlier and later reformers.Map ↗
  3. Site 3: Worms CathedralRomanesque imperial cathedral beside the site of the diet.Map ↗

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