Martin Luther (extra credit)

Martin Luther is a facinating historical figure, a man with tremendous gifts, but also some very human weaknesses--as he himself realized.   To understand Luther, it's better to read his own words rather than just listen to a lecture.  Here are four works I'd recommend.

One might start with Luther's 95 Theses.  Luther attached these to the door of the Wittenburg Church on October 31, 1517.  While we generally view this as the start of the Protestant Reformation, Luther here was challenging only the sale of indulgences, not calling for a break with the Catholic church.

Next, one might look at Luther's account of his "Tower Experience."  This is Luther's "born again" experience, a key moment in his personal religious life (1519).

In 1520, Luther wrote three very important works.  His Address to the German Nobility calls on the German nobles to lead a reform of the church.  Luther's analysis of the church bureaucracy's resistance to reform applies to most bureaucracies.  Note his suggested remedies!

The Smalkald Articles (1537) were written after Lutherans and Catholics were already up in arms but when there was perhaps still a hope of reconciling the differences.

For extra credit, read portions of any of the above.  What do you see here that shows the kind of reforms Luther wanted to make?  Do you see any problems with what he suggests?  Is there anything here that ties in to the "right way and wrong way to go about reform" theme?



 

Welcome!

Welcome to Inherently Interesting Spring 2026, the most wonderful, most interesting, and most important blog at this particular URL. Your comments and questions on this blog will help make the class even more wonderful and interesting--and occasionally earn you a bit of extra credit!

If you like, you can create a Blogger account and use that for your posts.  You can also post as an anonymous blogger, but, to make sure you get credit, add your name to the end of each post you make.

For some reason, Blogger and Safari do not play nicely together.  If you are having trouble posting, try switching browsers.

To get started, here's a test of the History 121 extra credit system. Click the "comments" link below and answer one (or more) of the following questions:

•  What historical figure or event do you find the most interesting?
•  What is the first thing that comes into your head when you here the word "history"?
•  What's the best thing that's happened to you so far in this new year?

Machiavelli (extra credit)

Please read Chapters 15-19 of Machiavelli's The Prince (either pp. 84-104 of the Signet edition or at the link below).

Add a comment or two here giving your impressions of Machiavelli. Try to say something that would help another students trying to prepare on essay on Renaissance achievements.

http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/basis/machiavelli-prince.html

Pico della Mirandola (extra credit)

Renaissance humanists had a very positive view of mankind. They greatly appreciated past human achievements, and had an exceptionally high view of human potential . Read through some of Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man. Cite a line or two that particular well illustrates Pico's "humanism," i.e., either his appreciation for the past or his optimism about human potential. As an alternative, just cite a line that you particularly like from this work and explain why you like it.

Joan of Arc (extra credit)

There are many fascinating stories connected with the Hundred Years' War and, fortunately for us, some good translations of some of the best source material for this period.  We have, for instance this account of the trial of Joan of Arc.  Read through the selection and note what you find particularly interesting or important.

Boccaccio's Account of the Black Death (extra credit)

Read Boccaccio's account of the plague in Florence at the link below. What can you tell about Boccaccio's values and concerns from this account? In what ways might seeing the kinds of things he describes affect his writing and his general view of life?

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/decameronintro.html

Heloise and Abelard (extra credit)

Choose one or two of the letters of Heloise and Abelard at the link here. What did you find particularly interesting in these letters?  Does anything particularly surprise you?