On October 31st 1517, Luther began a debate about his 95 Theses by nailing them to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. This was a common method of inviting discussion, and not in itself unusual; however, Luther's actions and opinions triggered a massive reforming process known as the Reformation. Consequently, Wittenberg University became famous as a home for Lutheran thought and belief. Although Luther was not solely responsible for the ideas of the Reformation - he was part of a larger body of theologians and thinkers - many of the other key individuals also taught in the University. These people included Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt and, after 1518, Philipp Melanchthon.

In the immediate aftermath of Luther's actions, for which he was excommunicated in 1521, attendance fell, dropping to 629 between 1521 - 30. However, as the Reformation grew and Lutheran ideas gained ever-increasing acceptance, so did Wittenberg University. Between 1541 and 1550 the institution accepted 1,519 students, and this number rose to 1,860 between 1551 - 1560, double that of its opening decade, and nearly triple that of 1521-30.

Figures cited from Greengrass, The Longman Companion To The European Reformation c. 1500 - 1618 (Longman, 1998) p. 46, whose source was "Franz Eulenburg, 'Die Frequenz der deutschen Universitäten von ihrer Gründung bis zur Gegenwart', Abhandlungen der philologisch-historischen-Klasse der königlichen sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften, 24 (Leipzig, 1904), pp. 55, 102-3)".

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For Citation And Footnotes
Title: Attendance At The University Of Wittenberg During The Reformation
Author: Robert Wilde
Date: 2001