The Proceedings of the Diet

Here’s an excerpt from The Proceedings of the Diet, Herman Selderhuis' contribution to the April issue of Tabletalk:

On March 29, 1521, Martin Luther received a letter in which Emperor Charles V asked him to come and give an account at the imperial Diet of Worms. The word diet refers to the assembly of the major political powers of the Holy Roman Empire and standing next to the king or emperor. The diet at Worms was attended by some eighty princes and 130 counts, along with ambassadors of foreign kings and lords, who all had their entourages with them. More than ten thousand guests are said to have stayed in Worms, which was in many respects a great burden to the city but, on the other hand, also generated considerable business. Reports inform us about tournaments, prostitutes, fights, and more—or to sum it up in the words of one witness: “Everything was wild and savage.”

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