by svlchurch | May 6, 2025
May 6, 1527: An army of barbarians who had been sent—but were no longer controlled—by Emperor Charles V sacks Rome. Many Protestants interpreted the attack as a divine rebuke, and some Catholics agreed: “We who should have been the salt of the earth decayed...
by svlchurch | May 5, 2025
May 5, 1525: Frederick III, the elector of Saxony also called “Frederick the Wise,” dies. An avid collector of relics and a supporter of modern scholarship (he founded the University of Wittenberg), Frederick protected Martin Luther after the Diet of Worms...
by svlchurch | Apr 19, 2025
April 19, 1529: At the Diet of Speyer (Germany), princes and 14 cities draft a formal protest of Charles V’s attempt to crush Lutheranism, defending religious freedom for religious minorities, e.g. those involved in the Reformation movement. From then on, the...
by svlchurch | Apr 16, 2025
April 16, 1521: German reformer Martin Luther arrives at the Diet of Worms, convinced he would get the hearing he requested in 1517 to discuss the abuse of indulgences and his “95 Theses.” He was astounded when he discovered it would not be a debate, but...
by svlchurch | Apr 11, 2025
April 11, 1506: Pope Julius II lays the foundation for the new St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Builders delayed its completion until 1626 due to its immense cost, size, and other factors. Indulgences sold to fund the construction drew criticism from Protestant...
