An Examination of Marriage in the Early Protestant Church

          When considering the Protestant Reformation, it is easy to get caught up in the ideas of the men running the show, like Martin Luther and John Calvin. The focus trends toward an interest in the specifics of the division with the Catholic Church, as well as a focus on the belief that the path to heaven and salvation was through faith alone. There are many more components to the early Protestant Church and one of the many changes that was taking place was how marriage fit in to the Protestant Church, because marriage looked different after Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses. There were significant changes to marriage and to the role that it played in the establishment of the Protestant Church. Changes that took place included; new definition of roles for mothers and wives, changes to the process of annulment and divorce and the demographics of the people getting married changed as well.[1] For example, Martin Luther was a Catholic priest and he went on to marry a former nun, Katharine von Bora. The Luther’s would change the way that marriage was considered. They were not the first or the last to bring change to marriage within the establishment of the new church, but they were certainly prominent figures. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”[2] During the Reformation, the changes to marriage were numerous, and they shaped the way the church views modern marriage today.

One of the more significant changes to marriage within the Protestant Church came from the way annulments and divorces were handled. Prior to the Reformation, the Catholic Church did not condone divorce and annulments were granted on extremely rare occasions. Henry VIII wanted a son and his wife Catharine of Aragon, who was the daughter of the Ferdinand II and Isabella I, could no longer bear children. Catharine came from a Catholic country and they did not look favorably on divorce. Catharine had given birth to a daughter, Mary Tudor, who would later be Queen of England, and earned the moniker “bloody Mary,” during violent revolutions during the Reformation. However, she was no longer able to bear children, which allowed meant that if Henry wanted a son, it would be a child of wedlock with no legal claim to the throne. This was the beginning of changes to divorce and marriage within England.

In 1533, Anne Boleyn married Henry VIII. Very shortly after this took place, Henry was excommunicated from the Church by the Pope, as was the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer. This all took place following the establishment of the Church of England, which was created in order to give Henry the break with the Pope he needed in order to annul his marriage to Catharine and marry Anne Boleyn in hopes to have a son and an heir to be King of England.

There has been speculation over the years that Anne Boleyn’s portrayal as the woman who began the English Reformation may be overstated.[3] She was the first wife of the newly protestant Henry, but she was not the only catalyst. In Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn Queen of King Henry VIII, this topic is addressed. The book talks about how many people saw Boleyn as ambitious and deviant, while many others saw her as a hero who helped Henry to break free from the bonds of the Catholic Church.[4] The book itself has many letters discussing the view points of Boleyn’s contemporaries. Much of the correspondance is between Boleyn and Henry, but there are a few letters that lend context to their complex courtship and marriage, beginning with his ardent admiration.[5] Boleyn was without a doubt an interesting historical figure of the Reformation, but her role seems to have been greatly exagerated, despite her contributions to changes in marital status.

Boleyn was put on a pedastal by some, and some modern historians have fallen into the trap of writing about Boleyn purely based on the word of her peers and confidants, rather than from an objective standpoint.[6] One historian, and contemporary of Boleyn’s was John Foxe, who published his book, the Book of Martyrs in 1563. This book examined the important figures of the English Reformation, including Boleyn.[7] He would also go on to write about the men and women of Europe and Asia giving their lives in the cause of matyrdom. One of the more objective historians examines John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. Thomas Freeman wrote an article about the portrayal of Boleyn in Foxe’s book, and believes that the conclusions that Foxe drew in 1563 were based on claims from those close to Boleyn, or those who may have benifitted from her being Henry’s bride and the Queen of England.[8] John Foxe’s credibility was questioned when the book was released, because he was falsifying testimony and misusing the evidence to support his claims. Subsequent editions of the Book of Martyrs were released and Foxe claimed to have fixed the innacuracies.[9]

          On the other side, the argument is made that without the marriage of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, there would have been no break with the Catholic Church in England, and they would have remained in alliance with the Pope. E.W. Ives discusses the conclusion that Anne Boleyn was ultimately beheaded due to her interference within the affairs of England. The idea in this article, “Anne Boleyn and the Early Reformation in England: The Contemporary Evidence," is that Anne Boleyn, had many powerful been who had it out for her, because they believed women had no place meddling in royal affairs.[10] Ives pays particularly close attention the antagonizing relationships that Boleyn had with Henry’s council, which was constitued by men. In the end, the debate that Boleyn should be heralded as a hero who helped to begin the Reformation in England is still a debate, as there is plenty of evidence that suggests that both sides are correct. Her marriage to Henry VIII both changed the way that marriage was defined and handled and caused strife within the Church, but that The question is whether or not she had as much of a role in shaping the Church of England as some assert or if her more important role was having had a hand in shaping marriage and divorce within the new Church. 

          In contrast to the marriages and annulments of King Henry VIII, the Luther’s look drastically different. In 1525, Katharina von Bora and Martin Luther were married. This was only two short years after Martin Luther had helped Katharina flee from the convent in secrecy after she had become increasingly interested in the Reformation movement. There are many interesting things about the Luther’s marriage, but one of the more telling signs that marriage was changing within the Church is that by 1525, all of the Wittenberg reformers were married, and Luther just happened to be the last of them to do so.[11] It is important to note that this was also a change to the demographic of married couples. Prior to the Reformation, the clergy did not marry, and this was a change that broke with the Catholic Church as well.

          Katharina played a large role in defining what the new “Protestant family life,” and Protestant wives would look like. She seemed to be truly loved by her husband. In one letter, Luther wrote to her he said, “And I thought about what good wine and beer I have at home, and in addition a beautiful woman, or (should I say) master.”[12] The love that he had for his wife may have shaped the way wives were treated and could very well be what allowed for a strong foundation to define the sacrament of marriage within the Protestant Church. It is said that there are not many primary sources written about Katharine or by Katharina herself, but one source, translated by E.A. Endlich, gives an overview into their marriage and how roles were defined within the confines of marriage. This book is a firsthand account and a glimpse into their lives together. It paints a portrait of Katharina as a dutiful and loving wife who had great respect for her husband and the work he was doing.[13] She took on many tasks to help him with his work, including administering the holdings of the monastery that he worked in. She also helped in the hospital ministering to the sick patients while the nurses cared for them.[14] On top of all the duties that she took on, she was reported to wake up as early as four-o-clock in the morning to begin her responsibilities and these only grew when she became a mother.[15] When she became a mother, that role became important to her as well, as it would, and she continued her many duties to her husband and to her church.

          Katharina von Bora helped to define the role of the wife and mother in the Protestant Church.[16] She and Martin Luther were also a prime example of former clergy members being married as she was a former nun, and he a priest. In the Catholic Church, nuns and priests were not to be married to anyone, let alone one another, so the Luther’s would have caused quite the scandal within the Catholic Church, however, the newly established Protestant Church had no such issues.

          After having been married to Martin for twenty-one years, Katharina became a widow. The children that did not pass away early in life, grew up and moved out and when Luther died in 1546, he named Katharina as his sole heir.[17] The law of the time did not allow for this. Luther’s actions to will his belongings to his wife were denied by Saxon law, and soon after, the woman who had been so dutiful in her marriage and dutiful to the Protestant Church, she was forced to leave her home and move away with her children. She was treated generously, by some, for her hard work, but ultimately Katharina would die in 1552 after returning to Wittenberg and living the rest of her life in poverty. Her unwillingness to waiver in her duty to the church, or her husband, is a testament to her role as a wife and a member of the Protestant Church and is a stark contrast to her former life as a nun, which she fled from.[18] Katharina spent twenty-one years married to Luther, and in that time she defined and embodied the roles of wife, mother, child of God and Reformer. She provided a good example to other Protestant women and the marriage and relationship between her and Martin Luther was a seemingly loving one that also provided a good example and foundation for Christian marriage and the definition of marriage as a Protestant sacrament.

          A woman who followed the example of defining marriage during the Reformation was Charlotte de Mornay. She was born in France prior to the wars of religion and grew up Catholic until her father left the Catholic Church. Interestingly, her mother remained a devout Catholic. Charlotte and her siblings would choose whether or not they wanted to be Protestant or Catholic. Charlotte chose to be Protestant and remained devout. She was married for a brief time to her first husband, Jean de Pas, who passed away after the birth of their daughter. He died never having met her. Later, she met and married her second husband, Philippe de Mornay, who was a writer.[19]

          Charlotte de Mornay is an interesting female historical figure. She was married to Phillipe de Mornay and she chronicled their lives together. She was also one of the only people to witness and write about the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Mornay was writing in a time when women didn’t write, much less write with respect of their peers. Mornay used her writing to discuss the roles and actions of women in politics and religion as well.[20] Her account of the Massacre is published in many places. The Massacre took place in 1572 and was carried out by a group of Catholics who targeted the Huguenots, who were French Calvinist Protestants. The Massacre began on either the twenty-third or twenty-fourth of August and It lasted until October fifth in its entirety. During this time, anywhere between five-thousand and thirty thousand died. It was considered “the worst of the centuries religious massacres.”[21] Charlotte Mornay’s account of this massacre, as well as her husbands, were some of the more important accounts of the events that took place in France during the time.[22] Geoffrey Treasure, who believed the Mornay’s accounts of this day were important, wrote further about the massacre and stated that, “The figures are shocking enough but convey little of the overall effect. French Protestantism was decapitated. Of the principal leaders only Henry of Navarre, now the king’s brother-in-law, had been spared – and he thought it prudent to renounce his faith.”[23] Despite having witnessed these events, the Mornay’s did not renounce their faith and Charlotte still sought to write about the tragic events. Mornay wrote about much more than just her account of that day and in her lifetime, she filled four volumes with the details of her life, her husband’s life and their marriage.

          Marriage within the Catholic and Protestant churches underwent dramatic changes during the Reformation. For Boleyn, who had been secretly wed to another prior to marrying Henry VIII, this was true.[24] The medieval church, prior to the Reformation, allowed less strict laws regarding marriage, but that had all changed. In the medieval church, “the practice of recognizing a marriage as valid in the eyes of God as long as both husband and wife exchanged vows of fidelity to each other, regardless of parental consent, economic ability of the husband to support his wife, or even any witnesses to vouch for the exchange of vows, had become too problematic to continue unaltered.”[25] Both the Protestant and Catholic churches underwent changes in attitude toward the sanctity of marriage. One of the changes taking place was to the demographics of the people getting married. Around the time of the reformation, the average age of marriage for a woman was twenty, or if they were an heiress, it was sometimes younger, as many royals were interested in marriage for money and other resources.[26]

Authors Galvin and Fiorenza sum up the study of marriage succinctly, “…one needs to examine carefully and critically the Roman Catholic tradition about marriage as a sacrament. A study of this tradition should take into account not only historical evidence about the long and diverse development of the Christian understanding of marriage. It should also examine philosophical and social background theories that have been the underlying assumptions of this tradition.”[27] Today, marriage looks different than it did in the sixteenth century. Ephesians 5:31 is no longer the standard. Many people are no longer identifying as heterosexual and this has also been a shocking change to many within the church. Interestingly, many denominations do not denounce same sex marriages. This certainly paints a different picture of marriage, much like the changes that took place during the Reformation. With the help of key powerful figures like Martin Luther, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Katharina von Bora and many others, the way marriage was viewed and how it took place changed, along with the ideas and practices of the church. Marriage became a more defined construct within the Protestant church during the Reformation and in its wake, and this set the course for how we view modern marriage within the context of the Church today.

 

Bibliography

 

Benger, Miss. Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn Queen of King Henry VIII. Philadelphia: Abraham Small, 1822.

Bernard, G. W. "Anne Boleyn's Religion." The Historical Journal, 1993: 1-20.

Broomhal, Susan. ""In my Opinion": Charlotte de Minut and Female Political Discussion in Print in Sixteenth-Century France." The Sixteenth Century Journal, 2000: 25-45.

Christian History Institute. "Christian History Issue 131 - Women of the Reformation Lesser Known Stories." Christian History. August 15, 2019. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/uploaded/CH131s.pdf (accessed November 1, 2019).

Collinson, Patrick. The Reformation: A History. Modern Library, 2006.

Crump, Charlotte de Mornay Translated by Lucy. "A Huguenot Family in the XVI Century: The Memoirs of Phlippe du Mornay." Archive. 1595. https://archive.org/details/huguenotfamilyin00mornuoft/page/n7 (accessed November 20, 2019).

Curry, Andrew. How a Runaway Nun Helped an Outlaw Monk Change the World. October 22, 2017. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/10/martin-luther-wife-protestant-reformation-500/ (accessed December 13, 2019).

Dunlap, Martin Luther and Katherine von Bora translated by Thomas. "The Reformer as Husband – Luther and his Wife (1529, 1534, and 1546) ." GHDI. 1529, 1534 and 1546. http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=3715 (accessed November 22, 2019).

Endlich, Armin Stein translated by E. A. Katherine von Bora Dr. Martin Luthers Wife: A Picture from Life. Philadelphia: G. W. Frederick, 1890.

ESV Bible. Ephesians 5:31 . n.d. https://www.bible.com/bible/59/EPH.5.31.ESV (accessed November 28, 2019).

Fisher, Mary Pat. Women in Religion. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

Foxe, John. Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church. England: John Day, 1563.

Freeman, Thomas S. "Research, Rumour and Propaganda: Anne Boleyn in Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs'." The Historical Journal, 1995: 797-819.

Galvin, Francis Schüssler Fiorenza and John P. "Marriage." In Systematic Theology, by Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, 583-619. Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, 2011.

Holt, Mack P. "The Social History of the Reformation: Recent Trends and Future Agendas." Journal of Social History, 2003: 133-144.

Ives, E. W. "Anne Boleyn and the Early Reformation in England: The Contemporary Evidence." The Historical Journal, 1994: 389-400.

Koenigsburger, H. G., George Mosse, and G. Q. Bowler. Europe in the Sixteenth Century. London: Longman, 1999.

"Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 4, 1524-1530." British History Online. 1874. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol4/ccxxv-cclxxxv (accessed November 20, 2019)

Morris, John G. Catharine de Bora: Social and Domestic Scenes in the Home of Luther. Philadelphia: LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, 1856.

Mullock, St. Alphonsus of Liguori translated by Rev. Dr. The History of Heresies and their Refutation; or The Triumph of the Church. Dublin: James Duffy, 1857.

Ozment, Steven. "Marriage and the Ministry in the Protestant Churches." In The Age of Reform, 1250-1550, by Steven Ozment, 381-396. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.

Smith, Jeanette C. "Katharina von Bora Through Five Centuries: A Historiography." The Sixteenth Century Journal, 1999: 745-774.

Thigpen, Paul. Martin Luther’s Later Years: A Gallery — Family Album. 1993. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/martin-luthers-gallery-family-album (accessed December 13, 2019).

Treasure, Geoffrey. "Chapter Title: The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day." In The Huguenots, by Geoffrey Treasure, 167-175. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013.

Warnicke, Retha M. "Anne Boleyn's Childhood and Adolescence." The Historical Journal, 1985: 939-952.

 

 

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[1] Christian History Institute. "Christian History Issue 131 - Women of the Reformation Lesser Known Stories." Christian History. August 15, 2019. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/uploaded/CH131s.pdf (accessed November 1, 2019).

[2] ESV Bible. Ephesians 5:31 . n.d. https://www.bible.com/bible/59/EPH.5.31.ESV (accessed November 28, 2019).

[3] Bernard, G. W. "Anne Boleyn's Religion." The Historical Journal, 1993: 1-20.

[4] Benger, Miss. Memoirs of the Life of Anne Boleyn Queen of King Henry VIII. Philadelphia: Abraham Small, 1822.

[5] "Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII, Volume 4, 1524-1530." British History Online. 1874. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol4/ccxxv-cclxxxv (accessed November 20, 2019)

[6] Freeman, Thomas S. "Research, Rumour and Propaganda: Anne Boleyn in Foxe's 'Book of Martyrs'." The Historical Journal, 1995: 797-819.

[7] Foxe, John. Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church. England: John Day, 1563.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Collinson, Patrick. The Reformation: A History. Modern Library, 2006.

[10] Ives, E. W. "Anne Boleyn and the Early Reformation in England: The Contemporary Evidence." The Historical Journal, 1994: 389-400.

[11] Ozment, Steven. "Marriage and the Ministry in the Protestant Churches." In The Age of Reform, 1250-1550, by Steven Ozment, 381-396. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980.

[12] Dunlap, Martin Luther and Katherine von Bora translated by Thomas. "The Reformer as Husband – Luther and his Wife (1529, 1534, and 1546) ." GHDI. 1529, 1534 and 1546. http://ghdi.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=3715 (accessed November 22, 2019).

[13] Endlich, Armin Stein translated by E. A. Katherine von Bora Dr. Martin Luthers Wife: A Picture from Life. Philadelphia: G. W. Frederick, 1890.

[14] Thigpen, Paul. Martin Luther’s Later Years: A Gallery — Family Album. 1993. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/martin-luthers-gallery-family-album (accessed December 13, 2019).

[15] Curry, Andrew. How a Runaway Nun Helped an Outlaw Monk Change the World. October 22, 2017. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/10/martin-luther-wife-protestant-reformation-500/ (accessed December 13, 2019).

[16] Morris, John G. Catharine de Bora: Social and Domestic Scenes in the Home of Luther. Philadelphia: LINDSAY & BLAKISTON, 1856.

[17] Smith, Jeanette C. "Katharina von Bora Through Five Centuries: A Historiography." The Sixteenth Century Journal, 1999: 745-774.

[18] Fisher, Mary Pat. Women in Religion. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

[19] Crump, Charlotte de Mornay Translated by Lucy. "A Huguenot Family in the XVI Century: The Memoirs of Phlippe du Mornay." Archive. 1595. https://archive.org/details/huguenotfamilyin00mornuoft/page/n7 (accessed November 20, 2019).

[20] Broomhal, Susan. "In my Opinion": Charlotte de Minut and Female Political Discussion in Print in Sixteenth-Century France." The Sixteenth Century Journal, 2000: 25-45.

[21] Koenigsburger, H. G., George Mosse, and G. Q. Bowler. Europe in the Sixteenth Century. London: Longman, 1999.

[22] Treasure, Geoffrey. "Chapter Title: The Massacre of St Bartholomew’s Day." In The Huguenots, by Geoffrey Treasure, 167-175. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013.

[23] Ibid.

[24] Mullock, St. Alphonsus of Liguori translated by Rev. Dr. The History of Heresies and their Refutation; or The Triumph of the Church. Dublin: James Duffy, 1857.

[25] Holt, Mack P. "The Social History of the Reformation: Recent Trends and Future Agendas." Journal of Social History, 2003: 133-144.

[26] Warnicke, Retha M. "Anne Boleyn's Childhood and Adolescence." The Historical Journal, 1985: 939-952.

[27] Galvin, Francis Schüssler Fiorenza and John P. "Marriage." In Systematic Theology, by Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, 583-619. Augsburg Fortress, Publishers, 2011.