Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530
In this article, a case study is utilized to determine how personal relations and individual life events were used as tools in religious politics in the sixteenth century. The correspondence of sixteenth-century reformer Martin Luther is examined between 1528–1530 regarding Wolf and Katharina Hornun...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/358 |
| _version_ | 1797609184634601472 |
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| author | Sini Mikkola |
| author_facet | Sini Mikkola |
| author_sort | Sini Mikkola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, a case study is utilized to determine how personal relations and individual life events were used as tools in religious politics in the sixteenth century. The correspondence of sixteenth-century reformer Martin Luther is examined between 1528–1530 regarding Wolf and Katharina Hornung’s marriage and the role of Luther’s opponent, Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (1484–1535), in their case. By investigating Luther’s representation of this marital strife, the relationship between personal and political is examined to determine if and how he used the case as means of religious–political influencing. The main method used is careful close reading. At the explicit level, Luther’s aim in the case was to restore the Hornung marriage by bringing Wolf and Katharina back together. His letters suggest there was competition for Katharina between Wolf and Joachim, which actually, in his rhetoric, turned out to be a competition of two men representing different religious views: an evangelical one and a Catholic one. I will argue that in Luther’s efforts to maintain the marriage and the prevailing gender system, the underlying goal was to gain power over an opposing religious–political figure and to prove one’s own supremacy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:57:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-200b586b04d64ac28a507d81f8e97e10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:57:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-200b586b04d64ac28a507d81f8e97e102023-11-17T13:36:32ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-03-0114335810.3390/rel14030358Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530Sini Mikkola0School of Theology, University of Eastern Finland, 80101 Joensuu, FinlandIn this article, a case study is utilized to determine how personal relations and individual life events were used as tools in religious politics in the sixteenth century. The correspondence of sixteenth-century reformer Martin Luther is examined between 1528–1530 regarding Wolf and Katharina Hornung’s marriage and the role of Luther’s opponent, Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg (1484–1535), in their case. By investigating Luther’s representation of this marital strife, the relationship between personal and political is examined to determine if and how he used the case as means of religious–political influencing. The main method used is careful close reading. At the explicit level, Luther’s aim in the case was to restore the Hornung marriage by bringing Wolf and Katharina back together. His letters suggest there was competition for Katharina between Wolf and Joachim, which actually, in his rhetoric, turned out to be a competition of two men representing different religious views: an evangelical one and a Catholic one. I will argue that in Luther’s efforts to maintain the marriage and the prevailing gender system, the underlying goal was to gain power over an opposing religious–political figure and to prove one’s own supremacy.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/358Martin LutherElector Joachim I NestorWolf and Katharina Hornungsixteenth centurygender normsgender system |
| spellingShingle | Sini Mikkola Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 Religions Martin Luther Elector Joachim I Nestor Wolf and Katharina Hornung sixteenth century gender norms gender system |
| title | Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 |
| title_full | Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 |
| title_fullStr | Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 |
| title_short | Struggling to Maintain the Gender System and to Gain Domination: Martin Luther’s Correspondence Regarding “The Hornung Case” 1528–1530 |
| title_sort | struggling to maintain the gender system and to gain domination martin luther s correspondence regarding the hornung case 1528 1530 |
| topic | Martin Luther Elector Joachim I Nestor Wolf and Katharina Hornung sixteenth century gender norms gender system |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/3/358 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sinimikkola strugglingtomaintainthegendersystemandtogaindominationmartinlutherscorrespondenceregardingthehornungcase15281530 |