On This Date In History

On April 18, 1521, Martin Luther, the chief catalyst of Protestantism, defies the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V by refusing to recant his writings. He had been called to Worms, Germany, to appear before the Diet (assembly) of the Holy Roman Empire and answer charges of heresy.
Martin Luther was a professor of biblical interpretation at the University of Wittenberg in Germany. In 1517, he drew up his 95 theses condemning the Catholic Church for its corrupt practice of selling “indulgences,” or forgiveness of sins. Luther followed up the revolutionary work with equally controversial and groundbreaking theological works, and his fiery words set off religious reformers across Europe. In 1521, the pope excommunicated him, and he was called to appear before the emperor at the Diet of Worms to defend his beliefs. Refusing to recant or rescind his positions, Luther was declared an outlaw and a heretic. Powerful German princes protected him, however, and by his death in 1546 his ideas had significantly altered the course of Western thought.

Martin Luther nails the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church. 

 

The 95 Thesis.

Summons for Luther to appear at the Diet of Worms signed by Emperor Charles V; the text on the left was on the reverse side.

Luther before the Diet of Worms, 1521.

The Wartburg Castle in the Forest of Thuringia - 1521

The Luther statue in Worms, Germany

Martin Luther
 - The Diet of Worms

On March 24th, 1521, Luther was summoned to Worms, Germany where he would meet the new Emperor, Charles V to discuss the Golden Bull issued by Pope Leo X on December 20th, 1520, against the heresies of Martin Luther. And, Luther, also by the decree of the Bull, issued him excommunicated from the Catholic Church. Retraction and excommunication were the top two agendas of the Catholic Church against Luther, but everybody from the Reformation conceived of one worse, the death of a heretic. Those closest to Luther feared they would lose their friend to the scaffold. Luther, however was ready for this outcome. If death awaited him, he would accept it with joy. On the 2nd of April, on his departure to Worms, Luther said to Melanchthon, “If I do not return, and my enemies put me to death, O, my brother, cease not to teach, and remain firm in the truth. Labor in my stead, since I shall not be able to labor any longer for myself. If you live, it matters little though I perish.”
On the 18th of April, Luther entered the city of Worms. Upon the commencement of the Diet, Luther was asked to retract. Luther replied, “Wherefore, I implore you, by the mercies of God, you, most serene Emperor, and you, most illustrious princes, and all others of high or low degree, to prove to me by the writings of the prophets and the apostles that I am mistaken. As soon as this shall have been proved, I will forthwith retract all my errors, and be the first to seize my writings and cast them into the flames.”
Again, the orator of the Diet said again to Luther, “You have not answered the question which was put to you. You are not here to throw doubt on what has been decided by Councils. You are asked to give a clear and definite reply. Will you, or will you not retract?” Luther then replied, without hesitation, “Since your most serene Majesty, and your high Mightinesses, call upon me for a simple, clear, and definite answer, I will give it; and it is this: I cannot subject my faith either to the pope or to councils, because it is clear as day that they have often fallen into error, and even into great self-contradiction. If, then, I am not disproved by passages of Scripture, or by clear arguments; if I am not convinced by the very passages which I have quoted, and so bound in conscience to submit to the word of God, I neither can nor will retract anything, for it is not safe for a Christian to speak against his conscience.”
Again and again, Roman officials demanded that Luther retract, but the Reformer refused to bend under the iron arm of the Pope. It was never officially decided who won the Diet of Worms, but it is agreed among many that the Reformation took a stand against the Church and was victorious. This day was marked in history as the day the Reformation withstood the Church and did not fall.
It was time for Luther to leave Worms, but there were many who wanted him dead. Luther retired to his carriage with twenty horsemen surrounding it. The road back to Wittemberg was a treacherous journey. They had requested a safe conduct home from the Emperor, but it was not granted. As the caravan entered the Forest of Thuringia, five men in masks jumped the carriage to overtake and capture Luther. Little did anyone know, this was a setup, a rouse, to make everyone think Luther was actually being captured.
Luther was taken to a cell within the walls of the Wartburg castle. His so-called imprisonment was organized by the Elector Fredrick to save the life of Luther. There was such an immense pressure after the Diet at Worms for Luther’s life, the Elector staged an attack, tricking everyone into thinking Luther was captured and taken to a secret place. He was instructed to grow his hair and his beard, and wear the clothing of a knight. He was to abandon the name Martin Luther, and go by Chevalier Georges. It was here in this prison cell, Luther commenced his work that would change the world, the translation of the New Testament from the original Greek into the common tongue of German. 

https://www.insightoftheking.com/martin-luther--the-diet-of-worms.html