On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther famously (and perhaps apocryphally) nailed his 95 Theses condemning papal indulgences to the Wittenberg Castle Church door, giving the Protestant Reformation its official starting date. Five hundred years later, celebrations and evaluations of this historic event swept the globe, which seemed to solidify Luther’s enduring role as hero and exemplar of the Reformation.

But the true story of reform is more complicated, and Luther the man more controversial. Historian Amy Leonard of Georgetown University reviews the history and historiography of the Protestant Reformation and Luther’s place within it. Topics include late-medieval reform movements, the political and social context of Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, the role of the printing press, Luther’s appeal to both popular and elite culture, and his relationship with other reformers like Zwingli and Calvin. She also addresses Luther’s more polemical writings and the legacy of his rhetoric.

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