Luther Marries Von Bora: Defying the Pope's Celibacy
Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora on June 13, 1525, in a ceremony at the Black Cloister in Wittenberg. Katharina was one of twelve nuns who had escaped the Nimbschen convent in 1523, allegedly hidden in herring barrels. Luther initially had no plans to marry but took a wife partly to defy the Pope, partly to please his aging father, and partly because Katharina was the last of the escaped nuns still unmarried. Their marriage became the model for Protestant clerical family life. Katharina proved to be a formidable household manager, running their large home (the former Augustinian monastery), brewing beer, raising livestock, managing rental properties, and caring for their six children and numerous boarders. Luther called her "My Lord Katie" and relied on her financial competence throughout their marriage.
June 13, 1525
501 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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