Martin Luther defies Frederick the Wise: A letter from Borna, 1522

Martin Luther’s letter to the Elector ¹ of Saxony, dispatched from Borna, the final stop on his return to Wittenberg from Wartburg castle, on 5 March 1522, is in many respects noteworthy – as a testament to Luther’s tactical thinking, as a work of artful speech, but above all as a world-historical document on individual freedom.