Margarethe Luther

Mother of Martin Luther

Most biographers of Martin Luther refer to his mother as Margarethe Ziegler. But Ian Siggins maintains, on the basis of his extensive research, that she was a Lindemann. Since the Lindemanns were highly educated, Siggins concludes that Martin’s mother must have been the more literate of his parents and should receive some credit for his superb verbal skills. “Martin was one of the century’s great masters of language,” for he had an “unmatched instinct for word and image.” (Siggins, 48)

Martin's mother, Margarette came from a small but very well-off family. Despite her soft upbringing, she did her share of the family's workload but with three children to look after she was a harsh disciplinarian.

Luther recalled once, "(that) for the sake of stealing a nut, my mother once beat me until the blood flowed".