Wittenberg (Reformation center)

Timeline

1. 1502–1517Wittenberg University (Leucorea) · Electorate of SaxonyElector Frederick III the Wise of Saxony founded Wittenberg University (also called Leucorea) in 1502, appointing professors of theology, law, and the humanities. Luther was first invited to teach there in 1508, earned a doctorate in theology in 1512, and stayed on, providing institutional support for developing his reformed theology.
2. 1517–1520Wittenberg Castle Church · Electorate of SaxonyIn October 1517 Luther posted the Ninety-five Theses at Wittenberg's Castle Church; the town's printing workshops immediately translated the theses into German and printed them widely, spreading them across Germany within months. University scholars, printers, and preachers formed a collaborative network, the Castle Church and Town Church became core venues for reform preaching, and Wittenberg became the symbolic capital of the entire Protestant movement.
3. 1518–1520Wittenberg University · Electorate of SaxonyIn 1518 Philipp Melanchthon was appointed professor of Greek at Wittenberg University, forming a complementary theology-humanism partnership with Luther. Melanchthon systematically organized Luther's theology, writing the Loci Communes (1521) and establishing the doctrinal framework of Lutheranism; Wittenberg University thereby became the most important academic stronghold of Protestant theology.