Sam Leith Sam Leith

Books Podcast: Martin Luther, Catholic dissident

In this week’s Books Podcast, we honour the five hundredth anniversary of the nailing of that business with the 95 Theses, the church door and the mad monk by discussing Martin Luther and his legacy. Was he a Protestant? Was he a monk? Was there even a church door? And what did the Reformation mean for Henry VIII and the generations of English monarchs to come? Is it, come to that, over?

Answering all my dumb and ignorant questions on these subjects are two superbly intelligent and knowledgeable scholars of this vital period in European history. I’m joined by Luther’s latest biographer Peter Stanford, author of Martin Luther: Catholic Dissident; and by Peter Marshall — author of the magisterial new Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation. There’s a lot, you may find, that you think you know but that didn’t go down quite as you’d imagined. I do urge you to have a listen.

You can listen to our discussion here:

And if you enjoyed that, do subscribe on iTunes for a fresh episode every Thursday.

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