# Luther refuses to recant at the Diet of Worms

Date: 1521

## The fact

On 17–18 April 1521 [Luther](/people/martin-luther) appeared at the Diet of Worms. He refused to recant unless convinced by scripture and reason. The Edict of Worms (May 1521) placed him under imperial ban.

## Context

Safe-conduct from Charles V. Aleander managed the papal file. Frederick extracted him afterward to the Wartburg. The famous 'Here I stand' sentence is a later printed rounding; the refusal is the Fact.

## Evidence and sources

Diet acts, edict, and Luther's own speech reports. They establish refusal and ban. They do not prove the exact later slogan. Wikipedia is not used as a causal source.

## Significance

Legal fracture of the empire's religious peace machinery. Accountability path as well as courage story.

## What is established and what is not

Established: April 1521 refusal; May edict. Not established: verbatim 'Here I stand' as court stenography. Confidence high on refusal, medium on the slogan.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through [democratic-resilience](/drivers/democratic-resilience), FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

The event remains dated 1521-04-18. Martin Luther's documented role is: He appeared under safe-conduct and refused recantation before Charles V; the Edict of Worms followed. The welfare reading is worsening, through democratic-resilience, FDI weakening at weight 0.4 direction -1. A diet that ends in imperial ban rather than negotiated estates settlement is a legal-order fracture; Luther chose non-recantation knowing the ban. Later Lutheran churches, later princes, and later national myth are not this event. The URLs named above are locators for this Fact only.

## People

- Martin Luther: https://factrail.ai/people/martin-luther

## Drivers

- Democratic Resilience: https://factrail.ai/drivers/democratic-resilience

## Sources

- https://www.luther.de/en/
- https://ccel.org/ccel/luther

## Methodology

https://factrail.ai/methodology

Canonical: https://factrail.ai/facts/luther-diet-of-worms-1521