Argula von Grumbach (1492–1554/7): A Woman before Her Time

by Peter Matheson

At a time when women were expected to stick to their household duties, according to Peter Matheson, Argula von Grumbach burst through every barrier.

Matheson offers here a biography of the Reformation's first woman writer. Argula von Grumbach's first pamphlet in 1523 was reprinted all over Germany. Thousands of copies of her eight pamphlets appeared. Through her writing, von Grumbach defied her Bavarian princes (and her husband), denounced censorship, argued for an educated church and society, and developed her own understanding of faith and Scripture. She even intervened in the Imperial Diets at Nuremberg and Augsburg.

Drawing for the first time on her correspondence, the author shows how von Grumbach paid dearly for her outspokenness but remained undaunted. Though some saw her as a she-devil and others as a harbinger of a new age, Matheson shows von Grumbach as a woman engaged in the life of the villages where she lived, as one motivated by the dreams she had for her children.

In a time of sweeping change and risking everything for the light and truth she was given, Argula von Grumbach showed what the vision and determination of one person could achieve.

"With his world-class expertise of this period, his judicious balance, and his sparkling prose style, Matheson strikes me as Argula's ideal biographer. Unless additional Argula writings come to light, it is hard to imagine a biography that will supersede this one."
--Denis Janz, Loyola University New Orleans

"Argula von Grumbach comes to life, nearly five hundred years after her dramatic entrance on the early Reformation scene. . . . It is a fascinating story, from the tournament world of high German nobility to the practical daily tasks of a strong and savvy woman determined to keep her family and villagers safe, fed, and properly educated in the faith."
--Elsie McKee, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Matheson once again enlists his sharp scholarly rigor and exceptional narrative skill to explore the life and writings of this remarkable female contemporary of Martin Luther. Argula von Grumbach comes to life in these pages, revealing a world where women were supposed to remain silent but did not always do so. Thanks to Matheson's account, scholars, students, and general readers alike can enter the world of the German Reformation, seen through a woman's eyes. The result surprises and inspires."
--Camilla Russell, University of Newcastle, Australia

Peter Matheson is a Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion at Otago University in New Zealand. He has authored several books in Renaissance and Reformation studies, with a particular focus on radical movements and women's history, including The Imaginative World of the Reformation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, History

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 bk 92 In reading about the Reformation great names are mentioned and repeated frequently - to the point that we forget that the Reformation movement was more than the great speakers. It spread among the education noble classes who read and wrote letters to each other concurrently with it spread via preachers who spoke to those in the cities and small towns to all who attended the churches or small groups. This book is the story of one woman, of the nobility, who with her one brother read her way into the reform movement - reading her Bible, asking questions, seeking out like minded pastors with whom she could further study. It was when a local university (one founded by her ancestor) attacked and tried an 18 year old for his study of the reform ideas that she was driven to speak out. Unbeknowst to her husband, she wrote a letter decrying the university for putting a 'child' on trial and convicting him to life in a monastery without debating the ideas and she offered herself to that debate. She was never called upon - but her letter was widely circulated and then published (16 editions). Argula began a correspondence with Luther and he dedicated one of his books to her. Her life was not made easy by the fame, her husband lost his job as an administrator and lost face, several of her children did not follow her path, but she held true to the reform movement and ideas throughout her life. Amazing woman.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fascinating look at a woman who spoke her mind on matters of faith during the Reformation. An eye-opener for those who think women had no place in the Reformation, because Argula made one whether people wanted her to or not!

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read pp. 1-95 on a pdf for Dr. Whitford's seminar on Luther at Baylor (Spring 2014).