Luther and Katharina (40 page)

June 7, 1526

K
atharina brushed her lips against the downy softness of the baby's head. The newborn scent was sweeter than any flower or herb she'd ever known.

“What shall we name him?” She smiled up at Doctor Luther.

Perched on the edge of their bed, he gingerly peeled back the corner of the linen blanket until a tiny, wrinkled, red forehead appeared. Reverence and wonder widened his eyes. “So we've not birthed the two-headed, antichrist monster that the pope predicted?”

“You have a beautiful son, Doctor Luther,” Aunt Lena said. She combed through Katharina's long hair with her fingers and pushed it away from her face.

Katharina squeezed Aunt Lena's hand, grateful the woman had been the one to deliver her baby into the world and the first to hold him.

Aunt Lena had become such an integral part of daily life at the Black Cloister, Katharina didn't know how she'd managed without her, especially with the continual trickle of guests coming and going. And Aunt Lena had a special way of relating to the runaway nuns, a gentleness and understanding that the women needed.

Aunt Lena's cool fingers grazed her cheek. “I'm proud of you.”

“During all those many years in the convent, did you ever think I'd be a wife and a mother?”

“It suits you perfectly.” Aunt Lena began plaiting the long strands of her hair. “Doctor Luther suits you perfectly.”

Aunt Lena was right. Even though she didn't always agree with him, especially over how to handle their money, God had indeed brought her exactly the man she needed.

In fact, God had brought her more than she had ever dreamed possible: a husband, a family, now a child. But first she'd had to let go of her own stubborn expectations. She'd had to shed not only her habit and cowl but everything else that had been comfortable and familiar until finally God had her in a place where He could use her.

It hadn't been easy to let go of the traditions. But she was reading through Luther's German Bible, and slowly the words were unlocking a wealth of treasure she'd never imagined.

As though sensing her thoughts, he slipped his fingers through hers and brought her hand to his lips. “I'm a fortunate husband. The best and dearest wife has presented me with a son, and I've become a husband and father by the wonderful grace of God.” He leaned forward. His gaze shifted to her lips.

Her insides melted at the thought of one of his kisses. Even after a year of marriage, he could still command her heart with the slightest look or the merest touch.

She lifted her face gladly to his and breathed a small sigh of pleasure as the warmth of his lips melded over hers, gently at first, then harder, with all the passion that resided in the fibers of his being.

Pastor Bugenhagen cleared his throat next to them and fingered through the pages of his Bible.

Jonas chuckled. “I think we better leave these two alone and come back later for the baptism.”

Doctor Luther released her and grinned at his friend. “Can't I ever have any peace, even to congratulate my wife on the birth of our son?”

“You weren't born to bring peace,” Jonas retorted.

“You were born to change the world,” Katharina added. Every day she feared for his life and lived with the knowledge that any one of their guests could be the next assassin. But she had accepted his calling and loved him for his commitment to it.

He bent forward and pressed a kiss against the fuzzy head of their son.

“You haven't answered my question,” she said. “What shall we name him?”

He sat back and cocked his head. “My hissing Katzen is asking
me
for input? I find that difficult to believe.”

“Of course I am. You're the father.”

“I'm sure you already have him named.”

“I wouldn't ask for your input if I already had—”

“What is it?” His eyes danced with mirth.

“Herr Doctor,
you
must decide.”

“My Katharina, my lord, tell me his name.”

She smiled. “Very well. His name is Johannes, but we shall call him Hans, after your father.”

He was silent for a long moment, his eyes upon the tiny bundle in her arms. When he didn't say anything, her heart slowed to an unsteady patter. Had she been wrong to assume he was learning to forgive and love his father?

Finally he met her gaze. And this time she could see a new kind of love burning within the depths of his eyes, the kind of love only a parent can have for a child.

“And so, if I agree to the name you have picked out, what will you do for me?” His tone was serious, but the corners of his mouth fought a smile.

Katharina's heart started again. “Dear husband, I shall do whatever you wish.”

He guffawed. “Whatever I wish? Then I'll have to think of something very special.” He paused for a moment, and the dark desire of his eyes collided with hers. “I would like another kiss from my beautiful wife.”

“It will be very difficult to obey you in this matter,” she teased. “But I shall endeavor to try.”

He bent his head toward hers once again. “I love you, Katharina Luther.”

“And I love you, Martin Luther.”

I
would like to be able to tell you that Martin Luther and Katharina never faced any more hardships together. But the pages of their twenty-plus years of marriage are riddled with one difficulty after another, including poverty, plague, and the threat of war against the Turks. Two of their five children died, and those losses affected both of them very deeply. Katharina's biggest challenge was in doctoring her husband. He continued to suffer from a myriad of illnesses, including bouts of depression, attacks of dizziness, and kidney stones.

In addition to the personal losses and health issues, Luther and Katharina faced continual religious persecution throughout the rest of their lives. The pope and the Holy Roman Emperor thought that the blood of the Peasants' War had extinguished the fire of the Reformation. However, it wasn't long before the flames burst forth again throughout Germany with greater power and brightness than before.

In 1526, not long after the birth of their first son, Hans, the elector and a number of other princes formed the Evangelical Alliance. They finally gave the Reformation and the gospel their allegiance in a move that likely wouldn't have happened had Luther sided with the peasants during the Peasants' War. He had alienated himself from the peasant class but in doing so had preserved the success of the Reformation.

Also shortly after the birth of Luther's son, the princes declared that it was absolutely impossible for them to execute the Edict of Worms because of their fear of the turmoil it would bring throughout their provinces. They asked the emperor to dispense with the edict once and for all. Although the edict of death against Martin Luther was not done away with altogether, it was suspended. For the next few years, while the emperor Charles V was busy fighting to suppress France, the pope, and the Turks, finally the Reformation had a respite from the intense persecution it had faced earlier. During these years most of northern Germany became Lutheran.

Although Luther gained the support of the leaders, the followers of the Reformation still faced perils and threats every day. In response to the dangers, Luther said, “Our chief labor is prayer; let the people know that they are now exposed to the edge of the sword and to the rage of Satan, and let them pray.”

After reading a book like this, you may be wondering how much of the story is true to history and how much I added for interest. In any work of historical fiction, a writer must start with the framework of facts and then add many more details to bring about an enjoyable, entertaining story. So what really happened?

Most of it! Katharina did escape from her convent in the back of a wagon. She made it to Wittenberg and was placed in the home of the Reichenbachs, where she met Jerome Baumgartner. He promised to marry her but then left, and she never heard from him again. In the meantime she went to live with the Cranachs and learned from Barbara how to run a large home. Eventually she was the only one of the Marienthron nuns left in Wittenberg. The pressure for her to marry increased until Luther arranged the match with Dr. Glatz. Katharina opposed the match and declared she would rather marry Doctor Luther. Amazingly enough, their betrothal night was witnessed by Jonas. They had a separate church ceremony two weeks later, and their wedding night was interrupted by the arrival of Luther's old friend-turned-enemy, Karlstadt. They took in many guests and lived in constant danger, and Luther truly believed he would be captured and burned at the stake any day.

Most of the characters, including Melanchthon, Jonas, Pastor Bugenhagen, Wolfgang, Aunt Lena, Abbot Baltazar, and the Cranachs, were real people, who are recorded in history. I invented only a few for this story, including Greta, Thomas, and Brother Gabriel. I've also tried to the best of my ability to portray the essence of Martin Luther's personality and have used many of his famous quotes throughout the book. In addition, I've attempted to capture the social, political, and religious climate of the tumultuous times surrounding the Reformation and the Peasants' War.

Was Katharina kidnapped and returned to Marienthron for a short while? Were attempts made to poison Luther? Did Aunt Lena suffer such horrible abuses? These are from this writer's imagination. We will never know all the details and intrigues of their lives, but it is certainly interesting to imagine what could have happened. Avid medieval and Lutheran experts will need to forgive me for the select liberties I took for the sake of creating the plot as well as condensing time and events.

Through all the hardships, Martin Luther and his wife, Katharina, enjoyed more than twenty years of marriage together. Luther truly did love Katharina with all his heart. In a letter to one of his friends, Luther said of his wife, “Kate, my rib, greets you, whom, in my poverty, I would not exchange for all the wealth of Croesus.”

Katharina stood beside Luther, strengthened him, and helped forge him into one of the greatest heroes history has ever known. May her story encourage and inspire you to treasure those God has given you.