Young Luther as an Augustian Monk.
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Antipope against Ardian VI and Pius IV | |
| Predecessor | Official Pope Leo X |
| Successor | Antipope Sixtus V |
| Born | 10 November 1483 Eisleben, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 23 August 1526 Dresden, Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
Martin Luther was born on 10 November 1483 in Saxony. He became a Catholic priest and German monk. In 1513 Pope Leo X was elected, gained debt, and so decided to make money by selling indulgences, but he dies shortly afterwards. In response, Luther published 95 Theses. His ideas of reform spread like wildfire. In 1521, fearing the rebellion, Leo excommunicates Luther. Many Lutherans are enraged when the next election brings Pope Adrian VI to the papacy. They storm the church where Luther has lectures and bring him out yelling he should be the pope. Charles V is so angry at this peasant rebellion he orders the army to step in. The bloody conflict carries on for months with Luther being called the true pope and he personally fearing to say anything different, so he would not anger the people. Finally Luther was caught in 1526 and was sent to Dresden where in a quick trail, and burned at the stake.
Between 1521 and 1526 a war of words occurred between him and Thomas More / Henry VIII in the books Assertio and Responsio. However this stopped in 1525 when the army got too close for his security.
The Lutherans, fearing their lives, try to set a new foothold. However, their Hungarian escape turns into war against Louis II. In France they are hunted and they avoided Spain, for Henry VIII was so fanatical they fear him as well. Only Scotland with its turmoil in the recent regency of an infant Robert IV gave them a chance. After Luther, Carl Pfaff became the spiritual leader on the Lutherans and claimed to be the new pope selected by God and gave himself the name Sixtus V.