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Updated 06-14-09
Argula von Grumbach
(c.1492-1556/57)
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"A HUNDRED WOMEN WOULD EMERGE TO WRITE."
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Argula von Stauf was born to a baronial family near Regensburg, in Bavaria. When she was about 16, she became an attendant at the court of the Duke of Bavaria. In 1516, she married Friedrich von Grumbach, a nobleman who was an administrator of a small city near Ingolstadt. The couple had three sons and a daughter.
From 1517, Bavaria, like most of Germany, was caught up in the first movements of the Reformation. In 1520, Martin Luther published his first treatises; in 1521, Philip Melanchthon wrote a book laying out Luther's teachings; by 1522, Luther had finished his translation of the New Testament. All of this was done in German, and so open to readers who had no Latin. Argula von Grumbach read it all. By 1522 she had become a follower of Luther and was in correspondence with him and with others who shared her views; her husband remained in what she called the "old Church."
In early 1522, fearing social upheaval, the Bavarian authorities forbade "reception" of Lutheran ideas. The city of Ingolstadt enforced the mandate with enthusiasm: an 18-year-old student, Arsacius Seehofer, had promulgated the writings of Luther and Melanchthon, so after a warning and two arrests, he was threatened with death unless he recanted. He recanted. The prosecution had been carried out jointly by the local university and the civil authorities, but the university's biblical scholars were seen as the instigators.
The student's recantation occurred in September 1523, and it initiated Argula von Grumbach's brief career as a pamphleteer. She wrote an open letter to the university faculty objecting to their action; the letter was printed as a pamphlet and went through 14 editions in two months. She also wrote open letters to the Duke of Bavaria and to the city council of Ingolstadt, sending them copies of her university letter; these were also printed and widely distributed.
At the end of November Grumbach went to Nuremberg when the Reichstag (imperial parliament) was meeting; there she met with the emperor's representative. The next day she wrote to that same representative, encouraging him to support reformers; and to the Duke of Saxony, Luther's protector, urging him to stand firm. Both of these letters were in print by the end of the year.
Up to this point, Grumbach's aristocratic status had served to protect her from retaliation. But by the beginning of 1524, the secular authorities of Bavaria were becoming more nervous about the social effects of this "reformation" and less tolerant of those who supported it. First, Grumbach's husband lost the position he had held since their marriage. Then, in June, a long poem was widely distributed that purported to be by a student at the university at Ingolstadt. It attacked Grumbach with the usual weapons: the poet said that she didn't know her place as a woman, that she was obviously sex-starved, and that she was probably insane. Grumbach responded by reprinting the attack, along with her own poetic reply.
This was the last of Grumbach's published work --- seven letters and a long poem. She continued corresponding with Luther and other reformers (these letters have been lost). In June 1530 she met with Luther; in August, she attended the Reichstag at Augsberg and attempted unsuccessfully to mediate disagreements between the Protestant factions.
Sometime in 1530, her husband died; he had remained in the "old Church" but had allowed Grumbach to educate their children as Protestants. In a 1523 letter, she had said that he was opposing her, but in her 1524 poem, she said that he "has uttered no word of complaint." Legally he had the right to imprison her (and he would have had the support of at least some of her relatives), so they must have worked something out.
In 1532, Grumbach re-married, this time to a reform-minded count, but he lived only two years. She spent the rest of her life supporting local Protestant groups and, through her private correspondence, promulgating her beliefs among her family and friends.
On this page you'll find:
Links to helpful sites online.
Excerpts from translations in print,
Information about secondary sources.
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1. Excerpts in English:
(a) An essay on Grumbach by Denis R. Janz, "You Wouldn't Want to Argue with Argula," which includes passages from her September 1523 letter to the faculty of the university at Ingolstadt; the translations are by Roland Bainton.
(b) Use you browser's search function to to "Grumbach" for more from Bainton's translation of the letter to the Ingolstadt faculty; note, however, that there are omissions of whole pages that are not signaled.
(c) Go to "Grumbach" for a few lines from an October 1523 letter to the city council of Ingolstadt and from a December letter to a disapproving uncle; the translations are by Peter Matheson.
(d) At the end of a description of the December 1523 pamphlet-letter to the Duke of Saxony ("Frederick the Wise"), a passage from the letter trusting that God would enlighten the members of the upcoming Reichstag meeting; the translation is by Matheson. Note in the illustration of the pamphlet's title page (which can be enlarged) that Argula uses her own family's higher-status name.
(e) A 2008 essay by Bob Kellemen that includes other brief letter excerpts (and passages from letters by Martin Luther that speak of "that most noble woman, Argula von Stauffer").
(f) A 2007 essay by Bobby Valentine, "Argula von Grumbach: Courageous Debater, Theologian, Female Voice in the Reformation," which includes lines from her 1524 poem defending a woman's right to speak "God's word"; the translation is by Matheson.
2. After a brief English-language introduction, the German of three of Grumbach's published letter/pamphlets: (1) After the 17 articles Seehofer was accused of holding (and his repudiation of them) and a preface ("Vorrede") probably not written by Grumbach, the text of her September 1523 letter to the Ingolstadt university faculty (starting at "Der herr sagt Joha"); (2) her December 1523 letter to "Frederick the Wise"; (3) a June 1524 letter to the magistrates and council of the city of Regensburg. These are followed by an English-language biography by Megan Nomiyama and Shane Peterson and a bibliography of editions of Grumbach's works and of secondary sources through 2002. (You can see parts of the three letters in translation under "In print.")
3. About a quarter of the way down the page, the cover of Grumbach's first pamphlet: the title translates as "The Account of a Christian Woman of the Bavarian Nobility whose open letter, with arguments based on divine Scripture, criticizes the University of Ingolstadt for compelling a young follower of the gospel to contradict the word of God." The illustration shows Grumbach meeting with the Ingolstadt professors; that meeting, which she so much wanted, was never held.
4. Reviews (for information on the works' treatment of Grumbach, see "Secondary sources"):
(a) Larissa J. Taylor on a 1996 article on Grumbach by Matheson, "Breaking the Silence: Women, Censorship, and the Reformation."
(b) Ellen Moody on the 2005 essay collection, Women's Letters Across Europe, 1400-1700: Form and Persuasion.
(c) R.N. Frost on the 2002 collection, The Reformation Theologians: An Introduction to Theology in the Early Modern Period; elsewhere, another review, this by Gordon A. Jensen.
5. A medal-portrait of Grumbach, c.1520.
6. In English, a passage from a 1524 letter from Luther to
a friend, responding to an inquiry Grumbach had made on why
Luther had not yet married. At another site, go to the four
uses of "Argula" for Luther's descriptions of
Grumbach's 1530 visit to him in Coberg, during which they
discussed both how children should be weaned and the forthcoming
Diet of Augsburg.
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[Peter Matheson has translated Grumbach's published letters and poem; his introduction is helpful on the political background:]
Argula von Grumbach: a woman's voice in the Reformation /
edited by Peter Matheson. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995. (ix,
213 p.)
LC#: BR350.G78 A3 1995; ISBN: 0567097072
Bibliography: p. [196]-205. Includes indexes
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"They exclude neither woman or man."
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[From Grumbach's letter to the biblical scholars at the University
of Ingolstadt; she cites the bible to defend her right --- in
fact, her obligation --- to speak:]
I find there is a text in Matthew 10 which runs: "Whosoever confesses me before another I too will confess before my heavenly Father".... Words like these, coming from the very mouth of God, are always before my eyes. For they exclude neither woman or man.
And this is why I am compelled as a Christian to write to you. For Ezekiel 33 says: "If you see your brother sin, reprove him, or I will require his blood at your hands." [p.75]
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"But now that I cannot see any man who is up to it...."
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[Referring to a local preacher who had called Luther a heretic:]
I always meant to write to him, to ask him to show me which heretical articles the loyal worker for the gospel, Martin Luther, is supposed to have taught.
However I suppressed my inclinations; heavy of heart, I did nothing. Because Paul says in 1 Timothy 2: "The woman should keep silence, and should not speak in church." But now that I cannot see any man who is up to it, who is either willing or able to speak, I am constrained by the saying: "Whoever confesses me," as I said above. [p.79]
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"They have no one with enough integrity to tell then what
is going on."
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[And on the Bavarian princes, who had in the previous year issued a law against teaching Lutheran ideas:]
My heart goes out to our princes, whom you have seduced and betrayed so deplorably. For I realize that they are ill informed about divine Scripture. If they could spare the time from other business, I believe they, too, would discover the truth that no one has a right to exercise sovereignty over the word of God....
For they are the rulers of my fatherland, and I, too, was brought up for a while under their noble father and mother, my gracious lord and lady, and came to know their good living and godly fear. God be their reward, here in time and in eternity.
My heart goes out to them; for they have no one with enough integrity to tell then what is going on. And I realize very well that it is for their wealth, torn from them every day, that they are loved rather than for themselves. I am prepared to write to them in this vein, since, because of other business, they have no leisure to sit down and read for themselves. [pp.81-83]
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"I've read it all."
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[She asks the Ingolstadt scholars, who debate and write only in Latin, to respond to her:]
I beseech you for the sake of God, and exhort you by God's judgment and righteousness, to tell me in writing which of the articles written by Martin or Melanchthon you consider heretical. In German not a single one seem heretical to me. And the fact is that a great deal has been published in German, and I've read it all. [p.86]
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"I, too, can ask questions, hear answers and read in German."
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[And again, later in the letter:]
I beseech and request a reply from you if you consider I am in error, though I am not aware of it. For Jerome was not ashamed of writing a great deal to women, to Blessilla, for example, to Paula, Eustochium and so on. Yes, and Christ himself, he who is the only teacher of us all, was not ashamed to preach to Mary Magdalene, and to the young woman at the well.
I do not flinch from appearing before you, from listening to you, from discussing with you. For by the grace of God I, too, can ask questions, hear answers and read in German....
God grant that I may speak with you in the presence of our three princes and of the whole community. It is my desire to be instructed by everyone.... [pp.88-89]
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"What I have written to you is no woman's chit-chat, but
the word of God."
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[And in the last paragraph:]
I have no Latin; but you have German, being born and brought up in this tongue. What I have written to you is no woman's chit-chat, but the word of God, and as a member of the Christian Church, against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail. [p.90]
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"Outrage is spreading on all sides; matters cannot go on
like this."
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[On the same day that the above letter was sent, a copy of it was sent with a cover letter to Wilhelm, the Duke of Upper and Lower Bavaria, whom she had known since childhood. Wilhelm had approved of the movements against the reformers, but Argula is sure that he had done so only because he had been deceived. She will set him straight: she briefly describes what has happened to the student at Ingolstadt, and then she moves on to explain why the reform is not threatening, but a very good thing. First, it is natural for the people to moving to a new belief:]
It is not enough for us to say "I believe what my elders
believed"; we must believe in God and not in our parents.
If antiquity made for true faith then the Jewish faith would
be the best. [pp.102-103]
[And, of course, the old idea of monastic celibacy is an impossible
dream:]
If I were to promise chastity, it would be like promising to touch the sky with my finger, or trying to fly; it is not within our power. [pp.106-107]
[However, Wilhelm need not worry that the reformers are revolutionaries:]
Now your Princely Grace need have no doubt that those who accept the word of God give to everyone what they are due. As Paul says in Romans 13: "Give honour to those to whom it is due, give them their customs, tax and money...and be obedient to the authorities, even to the evil ones, for all authority is from God." [p.104]
[In fact, Wilhelm can find a financial advantage in reform (and can protect his own position):]
So-called spiritual princes and prelates have the money, while the purse of the secular prince is empty. May your Princely Grace find ways to remedy this, both for your own sakes and for ours.... Outrage is spreading on all sides; matters cannot go on like this. [p.108]
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"There are many who are abler and better read than I am."
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[Two months later, from a letter to the city council of Ingolstadt. Grumbach has received threats to her life:]
I am persuaded, too, that if I am given grace to suffer death for his name, many hearts would be awakened. Yes, and whereas I have written on my own, a hundred women would emerge to write against them. For there are many who are abler and better read than I am... although I have no doubt that many among them are secret disciples of the Lord, who, like Nicodemus, are afraid to confess Christ. Yet that is not enough. We have to confess publicly, as it says in Matthew 10; just thinking of Christ does not mean we have confessed him before others. May God grant them a courageous spirit. [p.121]
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"I weighed everything up carefully beforehand."
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[And in a letter written at the same time to Adam von Thering, an uncle and a counselor of Duke Wilhelm's (not a fan of the reform, but also not a fan of women's public speech):]
I have heard that you are reported as saying that if my own
husband would not do it, some relative should act, and wall me
up.... Alas, he is doing far too much to persecute Christ
in me. In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says: "We endure all things
without complaint for the name of the Lord." So it is no
difficulty for me, and I am not liable to obey him in this.... [p.145]
I have been told that they wish to deprive my husband of his
office. I cannot help that; I weighed everything up carefully
beforehand.... [p.149]
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"Judith...to the priests went straight away, gave them instruction
manifold."
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[Six months later, Grumbach read the verse attack of the Ingolstadt student, "Johannes of Landzhut"; in a poem responding to his, she reminds the writer of biblical women who had acted. First, Judith; when the Israelites were considering submitting to the pagan general Holofernes:]
Now Judith when this she heard,
To the priests went straight away,
Gave them instruction manifold
How God their fathers led of old,
When, as now, in tribulation;
Gave ample scriptural demonstration.
She also took the rulers on:
Boldly said: "What have you done
To leave the people in such pain?"
Soon caused there hearts to lift again....
God therefore made her hand so strong
That Holofernes was undone.
She then lopped off his very head.
Who'd ever have believed this deed?
That him they called a mighty god
Should thus become a laughing-stock. [pp.183-84]
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"You'd surely could never have endured God's victory through
woman assured."
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[And Deborah the judge:]
More of the same in Judges is found,
You can read of there, if you care.
There was a seer, Deborah by name,
Who was sent by God, much the same,
To lead the people of Israel,
To judge and govern them as well.
Had you been living at that time,
Wise man, no doubt you'd have tried
To stop God carrying out his plan
By acting through a poor woman.
You'd surely could never have endured
God's victory through woman assured. [pp.184-85]
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"But a spindle is all you offer."
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[And, as in her letter to the biblical scholars, Argula invites "Johannes" to show her where she is wrong:]
If you argue I'm too ignorant
Then share with me your wisdom grand!
But a spindle is all you offer,
In every teaching it's what you proffer.
But this fine Master of the Sentence
Would teach me me my domestic duties!
These duties I carry out day by day
How could I ever forget them, pray?
Though Christ tells me---I hear his voice---
To hear his words is the very best choice. [pp.
191-92]
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[This collection includes an essay by Peter Matheson, "Form and Persuasion in the Correspondence of Argula von Grumbach," after discussing the style and structure of her published work, focuses on Grumbach's private correspondence between 1521 and 1552 (not treated in his 1995 translation, above) and on what it reveals of her life and thought. All quoted passages are in Matheson's translation, with the originals given in the notes. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Women's letters across Europe, 1400-1700: form and persuasion
/ edited by Jane Couchman, Ann Crabb (Women and gender in the
early modern world). Aldershot, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate,
c2005. (xv, 336 p.: ill.)
LC#: PN4400 .W66 2005; ISBN: 075465107X
Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-327) and index
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[Matheson's 2002 essay on Grumbach in this collection finds in her published writings an original "layperson's and... woman's theology" (p.104). He shows that Grumbach developed her views, not from her readings of Luther and others, but from her own reading of scripture. He also shows her focus changing over the course of her work. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
The reformation theologians: an introduction
to theology in the early modern period / edited by Carter Lindberg
(The great theologians). Oxford, UK; Malden, Mass.: Blackwell,
2002. (xiii, 396 p.)
LC#: BT27 .R38 2002; ISBN: 0631218386, 0631218394
Includes bibliographical references and index
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[In this earlier article, Matheson emphasizes Grumbach's
defense in her public writings of the use of the vernacular for
bible translations, theological treatises, and oral debate (again
in greater detail than in his 1995 book). (See
online the volume's table of contents and article abstracts.):]
Peter Matheson. Breaking the silence: Women, censorship,
and the Reformation. Sixteenth Century Journal, 27 (1996),
97-109.
LC#: D219 .S55; ISSN: 0361-0160
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[Kirsi Stjerna's study includes a chapter on Grumbach which discusses her life and writing. The book's first section provides useful background on the role of women in the religious changes of the period. Separate bibliographies give thorough coverage of editions, translations, and studies. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Stjerna, Kirsi Irmeli. Women and the Reformation. Malden,
MA: Blackwell Pub., 2009. (ix, 269 p.: ill.)
LC#: BR307 .S75 2009; ISBN: 9781405114226, 9781405114233.
Includes bibliographical references (p. [223]-258) and index
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[This reference work contains a substantial entry on Grumbach
by Hermina Joldersma, which discusses her life and analyzes the
first letter. There are several useful illustrations:]
German writers of the Renaissance and Reformation, 1280-1580
/ edited by James Hardin and Max Reinhardt (Dictionary of literary
biography; v. 179). Detroit: Gale Research, 1997. ( xxx, 427
p.: ill., ports.; 29 cm)
LC#: PT241 .G47 1997, PN451 .D52 v.179; ISBN: 0787610690
Includes bibliographical references and index
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[Albrecht Classen's article discusses the style and imagery used in Grumbach's public letters and poem. The German excerpts quoted are not translated but are usually made clear in the discussion. (At the bottom of the page, see the volume's table of contents.):]
Classen, Albrecht. Woman poet and reformer: The 16th-century
feminist Argula Von Grumbach. Daphnis: Zeitschrift fur Mittlere
Deutsche Literatur, 20.1 (1991), 167-97.
LC#:PT76 .D3 V20; ISSN: 0300-693X
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[This collection contains an earlier essay by Classen, "Footnotes
to the German Canon: Maria von Wolkenstein and Argula von Grumbach,"
which discusses Grumbach's first letter and her poem, and which
gives both an English translation and the German original of
quoted passages:]
The Politics of gender in early modern Europe / Jean R. Brink,
Allison P. Coudert, and Maryanne C. Horowitz, editors (Sixteenth
century essays & studies; v.12). Kirksville, Mo.: Sixteenth
Century Journal Publishers, c1989. (168 p.)
LC#: HQ1149.E85 P65 1989; ISBN: 0940474123
Papers derived from the Sixteenth Century Studies Conference,
held in Tempe, Ariz. in 1987
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[Roland Bainton's 1971 collection of biographical essays includes
one on Grumbach. Some of Bainton's statements have been made
outdated by later research, but the essay remains useful on Grumbach's
connections to Luther and other reformers. One caution: Bainton
gives abbreviated versions of some of the letters, without
indicating omissions:]
Bainton, Roland Herbert. Women of the Reformation in Germany
and Italy. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1971. (279 p.: ill.,
facsims, geneal. table, maps, ports.)
LC#: BR317 .B3 1971; ISBN: 08066111612
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Updated 06-14-09