Argula von Grumbach
Argula von Grumbach was a notable figure in early 16th century Germany, born in 1492 in Bavaria. As the daughter of a baron, she benefited from an education that was uncommon for women of her time, learning to read at an early age and becoming acquainted with the Bible. Her life took a significant turn after the deaths of her parents from the plague, prompting her to seek solace in scripture. In 1516, she married Friedrich von Grumbach, an administrator, during a period marked by the burgeoning Protestant Reformation.
Argula became an ardent supporter of Martin Luther's teachings and engaged in correspondence with prominent reformers, despite her husband’s adherence to traditional church practices. Her activism was sparked by the persecution of reformist students, leading her to write a powerful letter to a university faculty, which was widely disseminated as a pamphlet. In her writings, she asserted her belief in the importance of the Gospel and challenged the treatment of reformists, emphasizing the superiority of scripture over human authority. Although she faced backlash and personal attacks, Argula von Grumbach's contributions to the Reformation discourse, particularly regarding law, politics, and morality, marked her as a significant voice in the movement, especially for women in a male-dominated society.
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Subject Terms
Argula von Grumbach
Author
- Born: 1492
- Birthplace: Near Regensburg, Bavaria (now Germany)
- Died: c. 1563
Biography
Argula von Grumbach was born in the Bavaria region of Germany, near the town of Regensburg, in 1492. She was the daughter of a baron and had the good fortune to be born into a family that valued education, even for girls, and she learned to read at an early age. When she received a Bible at the age of ten, Franciscan priests tried to discourage her from reading it because they believed it would only confuse her. At the age of sixteen, she became an attendant in the duke of Bavaria’s court. While she was at court, she was encouraged to study the Bible. In 1509, she suffered a personal tragedy when both of her parents died of the plague. This event likely sent her to the Bible for answers. In 1516, she married a nobleman named Friedrich von Grumbach, who was appointed an administrator for a small city near Ingolstadt.
At that time, Germany was becoming involved in the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther published his first treatises in 1520, and he completed his German translation of the New Testament in 1522. Grumbach read all of Luther’s teachings and became an ardent follower. She corresponded with Luther and other leaders of the Reformation while her husband remained loyal to the old ways of the church. However, many Germans were not prepared to accept the ideas of Luther and other reformists, and the new believers often were threatened with bodily harm if they did not recant. One such incident prompted Grumbach to write a letter to the local university faculty, objecting to the treatment of a student who had been threatened with death for his reformist views. Her letter was printed as a pamphlet and was widely distributed. She wrote that, although a woman, she was compelled to challenge the actions of the university because she would not allow the Gospel to be unheard.
Grumbach’s aristocratic stature protected her for a time, but by 1524 the Bavarian authorities were becoming increasingly worried about the Reformation. As a result, her husband was dismissed from his government position. Later, she was personally attacked in a poem purportedly written by a university student. Grumbach responded to the attack with one of her own, writing a number of letters and a long poem defending her ideas. Although her letters and poem did not succeed in establishing the Protestant Reformation in Bavaria, Grumbach’s voice was important. She defended the Scripture as more holy than the word of mere men, and she fought for an understanding of the Bible’s teaching on law, politics, and morality.