We can interpret question the of “why could the established Church not subdue Martin Luther?”, can be understood in two ways: the subduing of Martin Luther’s ideas on Christianity and the physical subduing of Luther. In order to explain in both cases, why the Church could not subdue Martin Luther, we must examine several key factors. Firstly, it was the prolificity of Luther’s writings and the impact of the printing press in propagating those publications. The political situation in the Imperial and Hanseatic Cities and their adoption of Lutheranism in many German-speaking areas, and finally, the physical protection of Fredrick III, elector of Saxony. With these factors explained, the reason established Church could not subdue Martin Luther, both in his religious ideology and physically, was because of widening support for the Protestant Reformation amongst the population in the German cities and the political ambitions of monarchs against the greater context of the Catholic Church’s influence.
The Catholic church in the early 1500s held massive political and financial power in Europe. The coronation of Charlemagne in 800 as Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III, marked the beginning of the idea that Kings were given the right to rule through the Pope’s divine right. This idea taken forward to the 1500s gave the Pope and Church immense power throughout Europe. In the context of the early 1500s, the policies and rule of Charles V was the will of God. At an institutional level, this gave the Church legitimacy and tied it to those that held power, particularly the Holy Roman Emperor. At the level of the common laity, the belief in God was all pervasive. It was believed that time on earth was merely a passing phase and that through faith, one could secure their place in heaven. This faith was administered through a network of churches spread across Europe with priests enlightening the public on matters of Holy scripture, which was often available only in Latin. Indeed the common man of the time was often illiterate and relied on the local parish priest for all things regarding scripture. That being said, the Church by the late 1400s was suffering from a deterioration in the quality of their clergymen due to the lack of discipline laid down by local bishoprics and the disastrous effects of the Black Death. Many become dissatisfied, at the degree of corruption that was seen in the Church. The widespread proliferation of Church power, both politically and financially as well as the dissatisfaction that many of the laity had with the Church laid the foundation for the genesis of Luther’s ideas and the political motivation of various principalities in Germany and elsewhere.
The spread of Luther’s ideas was primarily driven his prolific publications aided by the technology of the printing press. Martin Luther was most famous for publishing the complete Lutheran Bible, with both the old and new testament translated from Latin to vernacular German, in 1534. This translated bible had several major implications in the way Christianity was perceived and practised. Firstly, for the first time, the laity could directly access scripture and thus could form their own perspectives and interpretations. Philip Schaff, a prominent Swiss Church historian, remarked that even "tailors, shoemakers, women and ignorant people" were now attempting to read the Bible. Secondly, because the everyday man could access the scripture, there was a decrease in the reliance of the parish priest. This in effect, eroded the influence of the established Church and made it more difficult for local churches to assert control over how the Bible was taught. In many ways, it was a direct attack on the Church as an institution. The prolific spread in individual and collective understanding amongst the laity made it very difficult for the established Church to assert control over Christian teachings and made it extremely difficult to subdue the ideas that Martin Luther preached through his Bible.
Much of the effectiveness of Luther’s writing was also attributed to his eloquence and simplicity in writing. Many of his pamphlets, that were increasingly being mass produced between 1518-24, were in sermon form, persuasive and easy to understand. This clarity and simplicity in writing also rang true for his Bible. This had a tremendous influence on the accessibility of Luther's publications to the general public and was especially effective in German towns and cities. From a more tangible and physical perspective, the printing press was what allowed copies of Luther’s Bible to be distributed quickly across Europe and Germany. The printing press and movable type, invented in 1439 were instrumental in spreading the ideas of the Reformation. Indeed, John Foxe asserted that printing was a key tool of the Reformation. Without the printing press, there would not have been an upsurge in literacy and thus the desire to have a greater understanding of religion throughout Europe. Between 1518-1524, there was a six-fold increase in the output of printing presses in Germany. The bulk of these prints undoubtedly had a religious context and indeed many of them would have expressed Protestant ideas. Thus, the eloquence and simplicity of Martin Luther’s publications, combined with the upsurge in printing during the period, made it extremely difficult for the established church to subdue the proliferation of Martin Luther’s ideas, especially in German towns and cities.
In many of the Hanseatic cities and German cities, mostly secular socio-political factors led to the spread of Lutheranism. By the late 15th Century, the Hanseatic League was in decline as various external players began to encroach on the dominance on the trade that they had in the area. Indeed some of the cities had even begun to compete against each other, effectively ending the cooperation that characterised the League. Many of the middle and lower classes resented the control that the bishoprics and dukedoms were asserting in an attempt to re-centralise control in the form of increased taxation. The Burgher class, citizens of a town typically bourgeoise, were the main catalysts in the spread of Lutheranism in many Hanseatic cities. Indeed, the Clergy in these cities, in particular, was struggling to fund their continued existence and in turn, grasped any source of revenue they could find. The desire for autonomy from the increasing control of local dukes and the clergy resulted in the rapid proliferation of Lutheranism, to the point where Protestant preachers were invited to teach the Scripture in these cities. This desire to break away from centralised control resulted in Luther’s ideas being used as a tool to cede from the established Church and nobility. This wider socio-political movement significant contributed towards eroding the Church’s power in the Hanseatic cities and further frustrated attempts to subdue Martin Luther’s ideas.
The spread of Lutheranism amongst the Imperial cities of Germany was another important factor in the established Church being unable to suppress Luther's ideas. The main difference between the Hanseatic and Imperial Cities was essential, who controlled the city. Hanseatic cities were in effect independent from the direct control of the Holy Roman Emperor and were seen as partners to them. Whereas, Imperial cities were under direct control. The significance of this was that in theory, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V could assert direct control over these cities and religious activities within them through various princes. The vast majority of Imperial cities had converted to Protestantism either partially or completely by 1521. Out of 85 cities, more than 50 officially recognised the Reformation and more than half became protestant. The way in which these cities became Protestant was often very similar to Hanseatic Cities. The middle and lower middle class, formed by Burghers, would congregate to discuss Lutheran ideas and publications and eventually actively call for Church reform. There was an added dimension that tied religious to socio-economic reform. Often, the population saw Protestantism as a way to break away from the established Church and government. The result was that the Reformation in these cities often took hold very quickly, as dissent rose. Even the poor, who had benefitted much from the charitable work of the established church in the past century were no longer content and often called for Protestant preachers. Despite the general trend, there are exceptions; notably in the cities of Cologne, and province of Thuringia, where townsfolk, local clergy and the aristocracy active attempted to suppress Lutheran ideas. Overall, the established Church had diminishing ecclesiastical control over society and religious ideas in these cities adding to a growing list of regions that slipped from the established making it even more difficult to subdue Lutheran ideas. This aspect of eroding ecclesiastical control was significant especially in the context of the Electorate of Saxony, where Luther resided as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and later at Wartburg Castle under the protection of Fredrick III, Elector of Saxony.
Fredrick the III, Elector of Saxony, provided much physical protection to Martin Luther throughout his tribulations at the Diet of Worms (1521) and the subsequent Edict of Worms (1521). Despite being Catholic, Fredrick III saw the protection of Luther as more of a legal right than anything else. Along with a number of German princes, Fredrick III, ensured that Luther could voice his ideas at the Diet of Worms and ensured safe passage to the meeting.
Furthermore, he effectively ensured that Luther wasn’t killed or incarcerated after the Papal Bull “Decet Romanum Pontificem” (Issued on 3rd January 1921) and the Edict of Worms was issued and even went so far as to ‘kidnap’ and sequester him away at Wartburg Castle. Ultimately, Fredrick III’s physical protection of Luther meant that the established Church found it difficult to physically harm Luther, and also gave him the security to continue producing his works during a time of turmoil.
In conclusion, the dissatisfaction with the established Church in the late 15th Century, the effectiveness of both Luther’s writing style and the printing press, and the adoption of Protestantism in most Hanseatic and Imperial cities led to widespread support for the Protestant Reformation amongst the population in German cities. On top of these, the monarchs had political ambitions to break away from the control and influence of the Catholic Church. It was in their interest to support Martin Luther’s works. All these prevented the established church from subduing Martin Luther.