Margarethe Luther (née Lindemann) (Eisenach, 1460 – Mansfeld, June 30, 1531) was the mother of the German theologian and church reformer, Martin Luther. Long believed to have come from a peasant family by the name of Ziegler, Margarethe, or "Hanna" as she was usually called, was in fact the daughter of Johann Lindemann (I), a burger in the German city of Eisenach. Margaretha married Hans Luther (15th century) and moved with him first to Eisleben, and then to Mansfeld, where he sought his fortune in the copper mines. Martin Luther was the eldest of their (probably) nine children. Martin clearly benefited from his mother's family connections, particularly in the excellent education he received. Moreover, he seems early to have imbibed the middle class Christian piety characteristic of his mother's family. Thus, Margarethe's influence on her son was probably greater than has traditionally been recognized. Margaretha and Hans were by all accounts good parents, strict but loving. Luther always remembered his mother fondly, and he wrote a moving letter of pastoral comfort to her when she was ill and at the point of death.
References
- Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1989). See esp. p. 90.
- Ian D. K. Siggins, Luther and His Mother, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1981).
- ________, 'Luther's Mother Margarethe', Harvard Theological Review 71 (1978): 125-150.
- Theodore Tappert, ed., Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2006).
