Junior Cert Exam Model Answer
           
This question was asked in the People in History section on the Junior Certificate paper.

Question 4            A follower of a named religious reformer at the time of the Reformation.
Exam tips:
The best way to approach this type of question is to open your account by mentioning the person in the question. Then write about Martin Luther or another reformer of your choice.
The examiner wants to find out what you know about the religious reformer not the follower. Use the word I as little as possible.
This question is marked out of 20 with two marks awarded for every important point that you make. The ü’s indicate where two marks would have been awarded.

I am follower of Martin Luther and live in Wittenberg. I admire the stand Luther took against the Catholic Church.  I was alarmed at the abuses in the Church.ü Martin Luther was a monk and professor who worked in my town. He opposed the sale of indulgences and wrote 95 theses condemning their sale.ü
His ideas spread quickly with the help of the printing press. ü They were very popular and Luther wrote pamphlets attacking the Catholic Church.ü
Pope Leo X became alarmed. He sent a Papal Bull or letter demanding that Luther take back his views. This bull was called Exsurge Domine. ü Luther refused to agree to the Pope’s demand and publicly burned the bull. ü
He was now in serious trouble and could be executed but he was protected by his ruler Frederick the Wise. ü
Luther was summoned to appear before the Holy Roman Emperor at the Diet of Worms. üHere Luther acted very bravely and refused to take back his views. He was declared an outlaw by the Edict of Worms. ü
On his way back to Wittenberg was kidnapped by soldiers on the orders of Frederick and kept at Wartburg castle for his own protection. ü
Here he translated the New Testament into German. ü
When he came back to Wittenberg he introduced religious changes. The mass was replaced a communion service in German. ü In 1525 Luther married a former nun Catherine von Bora and lived in Wittenberg where he wrote many more pamphlets and hymns. ü