Happy Reformation Day!

Tradition says that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of Wittenberg’s parish church on October 31, 1517. Over the next few years, thanks to the power of the printing press, Luther’s ideas would spread across Europe and spark a new religious movement. Luther even inspired poetry! These two pieces, one well-known and one more obscure, used verse to spread the news of the Reformation.

Hans Sachs, Die wittembergisch Nachtigall (The Wittenberg Nightingale). Zwickau: Jörg Gastel, 1523. Call number: Vault Collection 831.4 Sa14w 1523

Hans Wallser, Ain Bericht Wie D. Martini Luther von ersten hinder söllichen schwären handel kommen sey (How Doctor Martin Luther First Came Out of Obscurity). Augsburg: Johann Schoensperger, 1521. Call number: Vault  Collection BR 327 .W36 1521