bavarikon4UMartin Luther to the City of Ratisbon; Wittenberg, 26 August 1523 (Stadtarchiv Regensburg, Reichsstadt Regensburg Ecclesiastica I, 1, 64, 3, S. 37862f.)
Although the writings of Martin Luther (1483–1546) were already well received by the population of Ratisbon and in parts of the council as early as in 1522, the commitment to Lutheranism took some more time, not only due to the relationships between the city and the emperor, with the Bavarian duke and the local bishop.
The pilgrimage to the “Beautiful Virgin Mary” also proved to be a hindrance. It had been built in place of the synagogue, destroyed in 1519, and provided Ratisbon with a lucrative income. The fear that this source of funds would dry up after the introduction of the new doctrine strengthened the reluctance of the council members to accept the new doctrine in their resistance against Protestant influences and preachers.
Therefore, Luther wrote this letter to the mayor and council of Ratisbon. He deplored the fact that in the city “the poor people continued to ward off the salutary word of God’s preaching” and appealed to those responsible not to prevent the faithful from obtaining salvation for the soul. Luther dismissed the miraculous signs of the “Beautiful Virgin Mary” as diabolical deception and admonished the council to hire and protect a Protestant priest. Hans Blaufärber, a citizen of Ratisbon, who had been expelled from the city because of his Lutheran attitude, delivered the letter.