Diet of Worms
- When
- 1521
- Where
- Bischofshof palace; Diet of Worms assembly; Imperial Diet
- Episodes
- 3
The 1521 Diet of Worms, convened by Emperor Charles V, addressed Martin Luther's excommunication. Luther appeared before the assembly in April, leading to the Edict of Worms in May, which declared him an outlaw.
Episodes
- Opening of the Diet
The Imperial Diet of Worms commenced in late January 1521.
- Luther's Examination
Martin Luther appeared before the Diet in mid-April 1521.
- Edict of Worms
Charles V issued the Edict of Worms on 25 May 1521.
Background and detail
Background. Following the 1517 Ninety-five Theses, Pope Leo X issued the bull Exsurge Domine in 1520, demanding recantation. Luther refused, resulting in his excommunication in January 1521. He was subsequently ordered to appear before the Imperial Diet at Worms.
Proceedings. The Diet opened on 28 January 1521 at the Bischofshof palace in Worms, presided over by Charles V. The main events concerning Luther occurred between 16 and 18 April, when he appeared before the assembly as ordered.
Outcome. On 25 May 1521, the Emperor issued the Edict of Worms. This decree declared Luther an outlaw, banned his literature, and required his arrest, allowing anyone to kill him without legal consequence.
People involved
- Martin Luther · Theologian and defendant
- Charles V · Holy Roman Emperor
Sources
- Diet of Worms Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-05
- Martin Luther Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-17
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.