Europe in the Age of the Reformation

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Martin Luther

His Youth

Martin Luther was born in Saxony in 1483. His father decided young Martin would become a lawyer and had him educated for the law, but Martin did not want to become a lawyer. The two argued over this with neither side yielding much. His early education did, however, expose Luther to humanistic scholarship.

Then, in his early 20s, Martin Luther experienced a religious conversion. While crossing an open field during a storm, he was nearly struck by lightning. He vowed to his patron saint, Anne, that if his life should be spared he would become a monk.

True to his word, Luther quit school and entered a monastery. His father was furious, but Luther would not budge. He quickly discovered that the religious life suited him best and he threw himself into it with all his energies.