James Reston. Luther's Fortress: Martin Luther and his Reformation under Siege. New York: Basic Books, 2015. 272 pp. $27.50, cloth, ISBN 978-0-465-06393-2. Reviewed by Jay Goodale Published on H-German (September, 2016) Commissioned by Nathan N. Orgill James Reston Jr. is a prolific, best-selling, and, his time there. The period between Luther's birth based solely upon this work, highly skilled writer (1483) and the Diet of Worms (1521) is covered in who has published seventeen books on subjects as just over twenty-two pages of fairly large print. diverse as General Sherman's march, the dis‐ Important themes and relevant events in both Eu‐ graced baseball legend Pete Rose, Galileo, Richard ropean history and Luther's personal and intellec‐ the Lionheart and the Third Crusade, the Rev‐ tual life, including Leo X's pontificate, the election erend Jim Jones (of Jonestown infamy), the Frost/ of Charles V, the relationship between this pope Nixon interviews, and the assassination of Presi‐ and emperor, the Knights' Revolt, Luther's experi‐ dent Kennedy. He is a senior scholar at the ence as a monk in Erfurt, the Leipzig Disputation, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Schol‐ Luther's relationship with Johann von Staupitz, ars, a self-administered institution established as Luther's theological breakthroughs, and the con‐ part of the Smithsonian and based in Washington troversy over indulgences are mentioned and dis‐ DC. In a short but inspirational seven-page, post- patched fairly quickly. Despite the book's stated epilogue "Author's Note," he informs us that his narrow focus, I would have appreciated a little desire to write a book on Luther emerged as he more attention to these aspects of the broader encountered him while researching and writing context, as they are absolutely fundamental to a his acclaimed work Defenders of the Faith: Chris‐ fuller understanding of both how Luther came to tianity and Islam Battle for the Soul of Europe, arrive at the Imperial Diet at Worms, and why he 1520-1536 (2009). acted as he did there. Moreover, a lengthier dis‐ In Luther's Fortress, Reston seeks to illumi‐ cussion of some of these complex subjects might nate Luther's stay at Wartburg Castle between better serve the nonspecialist, for whom this May 1521 and March 1522, and the development work is presumably intended. of and threats to the nascent Reformation during H-Net Reviews Reston's ability to convey the atmosphere so dence with Melanchthon provides a fresh and en‐ palpably, and to bring the various personae to life joyably folksy mini-biography of Melanchthon so vividly, is certainly the book's major strength and an appraisal of Luther's relationship with and advantage. After bringing us to 1521, Reston him. Another chapter provides a riveting focus on recounts Luther's entry into Worms and his ac‐ Henry VIII's and Thomas More's views on Luther, tions at the diet in a detailed, lively, and gripping as well as Luther's responses to Henry. Reston "you are there" style that captures the tension and synthesizes well: while I offer separate courses at the suspense of this historical event far better my university on religion and politics in Tudor than the typical academic book. Here, in a passage England, focusing largely on Henry VIII and More, typical of his prose, Reston describes the scene and on the Reformation, focusing largely on immediately after Luther has refused to recant: Luther, I had never, until reading this chapter, "Pandemonium broke out. The emperor was con‐ considered the fact that their heated debates and fused. What had happened?... [Amid shouting] various condemnatory publications arose during Luther was sweating profusely ... the emperor Luther's exile at the Wartburg. Two chapters in rose to his feet in fury.... [Spanish soldiers] fell in particular ("Unclean Thoughts, Devouring Fires" behind [Luther], hissing and shouting out, 'Into and "Wrestling the Devil") cover the physical, the fre with him!' Luther turned on them with a emotional, and psychological trauma that Luther gloat and raised his hands high in the air, in the experienced--and so graphically wrote about. manner of a victorious Teutonic swordsman.... While this material is standard fare in biogra‐ But this show of bravado did not comport with phies of Luther, Reston's great skill as a writer Luther's true feelings of terror" (pp. 39-40). brings Luther's suffering and torment to the fore Such lively writing will surely make this book in a more visceral way than one usually encoun‐ appealing to many readers. I must confess I was ters. There are also large sections devoted to what initially curious to encounter a book of popular Luther wrote while at the Wartburg, what hap‐ history, of this length, focused on Luther's time at pened in Wittenberg during Luther's absence, the Wartburg. Despite this engagingly descriptive what Luther did to save his movement upon his style, however, there is, for the academic reader, ultimate return to Wittenberg, and, more atypical‐ not much engagement with the historical litera‐ ly, what happened in Rome following the Diet of ture, nor much original analysis. For example, in Worms. In an especially poignant section, Reston the same section, Reston explicitly notes the oddi‐ conjectures upon the manner by which Luther ty of Luther's immediate request for more time to and the captain of the Wartburg would have cele‐ consider his official reply, given that Luther had brated the Christmas of 1521 together. Over the had weeks to prepare an answer, and knew his last thirty years I have read much of, and about, whole reason even for being there was to answer Luther, and have visited the Wartburg three that specific question. Yet he offers no suggestions times. Yet I had never reflected upon this subject, to explain Luther's hesitation, even if it does pro‐ and it is to Reston's credit that he highlights such vide him with a compelling twist in the unfolding subtle but important aspects of Luther's exile. drama, of which he takes full literary advantage. Although Reston summarizes and explains Another great strength of this book--and an Luther's major theological publications up to the enviable skill of Reston's--is his knack for wonder‐ Peasants' War of 1524-25 clearly and succinctly, he fully interweaving themes, topics, biographical does so without much attention to the intellectual sketches, and relevant asides into his overarching context of these writings; there is no discussion of narrative. A discussion of Luther's correspon‐ the influence of Nominalism or of Augustine or of late medieval German mysticism on Luther's theo‐ 2 H-Net Reviews logical development. Likewise, there is no discus‐ tonous and corpulent Leo, he of lavish spending sion of the crucial role Staupitz's religious posi‐ and avarice, we are presented with "a thin, athlet‐ tions played in Luther's evolving theology.[1] ic Martin Luther [who] climbed up on his simple, And, especially at the beginning of the book, two-wheeled wagon" to start his journey to Reston reprises the old, whiggish view that over‐ Worms (p. 25). Almost always, when I inform peo‐ stresses--in regard to Luther's theological break‐ ple that I am an historian of the Reformation, they throughs--the moral depravity of Rome, the reply with a wry smile and an immediate recount‐ hypocrisy of the popes, and the decadence of Re‐ ing of various sixteenth-century Catholic depravi‐ naissance-era Catholicism. Thus we read how the ties, debaucheries, and scandals; this view is su‐ excesses of Leo X "would, in time, shape Luther's perficial and uninformed, and though it certainly opposition to the church.... Leo brought to Rome enhances the conflict and passion embedded in the Medici focus on art, science, and literature.... this book, it does not reflect the most nuanced of His gluttony was well known, and [in Raphael's understandings. portrait his] corpulence was on display.... Many There are also numerous slight factual errors, [poets] busied themselves in writing paeans to none of which falsifies the overall narrative, but their papal benefactor. Leo responded by shower‐ which serve, on occasion, to misrepresent a char‐ ing gifts on these writers, as well as his relatives acter's motive or position. For instance, the pope and artists. Nepotism also fourished under Leo" did not attempt to bribe Frederick the Wise into (pp. 4-5). arresting an excommunicated Luther with the Further on we learn of Leo's "pleasure in pro‐ Golden Rose (p. 43). It was awarded to Frederick fane amusements" and his "extravagant eccentric‐ in 1518 because the pope needed his support, ities," including a discussion of his pet white ele‐ both against the Turkish threat and in the coming phant (p. 6). We are informed of "Leo's luxurious Imperial election, and it had nothing to do with lifestyle," of how "the Vatican's savings were Luther's case. Also, the head ecclesiastic from squandered," and of how Leo fought war, gave Trèves (normally given in its German form as Tri‐ "lavish banquets," and praised the "fable of Jesus er) was an archbishop and an elector, not a mere Christ" for its ability to earn him revenue (p. 7). bishop (p. 47). Melanchthon's father did not give All of this is certainly true, but one wonders how his young son this Greek form of the family's last ultimately significant it was for Luther's ideas on name Schwarzerde because of the boy's "extraor‐ justification or his sacramental theology. dinary proficiency in Greek" (p. 54). Rather, it was Johann Reuchlin who, in keeping with the trend At one point, Reston describes what appears among German humanists of that era, such as to have been a fairly typical carnivalesque perfor‐ Trithemius or Oecolampadius, to Hellenize their mance in Rome in 1521.