May 30, 1527 The University of Marburg is founded. Philipps-Universität Marburg is not only a German university steeped in tradition, it is also the oldest university in the world that was founded as a Protestant institution in 1527. It has been a place of research and teaching for nearly five centuries. It was founded by Landgrave Philip I … [Read more...]

May 29 Feast Day of St. Maximin von Trier (? – ca. 349) (Latin name Maximinus) The Roman Maximin came to Trier (then the capital of the Western Roman Empire, now in Germany) to study with St. Agritius (then the Bishop of Trier) and was ordained a priest by him. Maximin would become the bishop of Trier in ca. 332. He was a staunch defender of the … [Read more...]

May 28, 1660 Birth of George I in Osnabrück, Germany, first Elector of Hannover and the first Hanoverian King of Great Britain. George I, the first Hanoverian King of Great Britain, was born in Osnabrück, Hanover (now Germany) on May 28, 1660. The English Parliament's "Act of Settlement" of 1701, in an attempt to ensure a Protestant succession … [Read more...]

May 27, 1525 Death of Thomas Müntzer in Mühlhausen. Thomas Müntzer was born in 1489 in Stolberg, Germany and died on May 27, 1525 in Mühlhausen, Germany. He was a leading radical reformer during the Protestant reformation and the leader of the peasants' revolt in Thuringia in 1524-25. Müntzer was a significant figure in the religious and … [Read more...]

May 26, 1799 Birth of August Kopisch in Breslau, Germany (now in Poland). Kopisch was a painter and poet. Two of his books of poetry are Gedichte (1836) and Allerlei Geister (1848). Allerlei Geister was based on legends and fairy tales. Kopisch studied painting and archaeology in Italy (1823–28) and in 1826 rediscovered, with Ernst Fries, … [Read more...]

May 25, 1521 The Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles V officially declares Martin Luther a criminal and heretic for refusing to recant at the Diet of Worms. May 25, 1848 Annnete von Droste-Hülshoff dies in Meersburg, Germany. She is one of the leading writers of the 19th Century. She is most noted for her poetry, Gedichte (1838) … [Read more...]

May 24, 1686 Birth of a Dutch-German-Polish physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736) in Danzig, Germany (now in Poland). Fahrenheit was the inventor of the alcohol thermometer and the mercury thermometer (1714). As the name indicates, he also invented the Fahrenheit temperature scale (now outdated in most of the world, but still used … [Read more...]

May 23, 1125 Death of Heinrich V, King of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor. He was the son of Heinrich IV and like his father led the investiture battle with the popes. He came to power by arresting his father and forcing him to abdicate. He won in the investiture battle too by arresting the Pope and demanding the right of investiture of … [Read more...]

May 22, 337 Death of Constantine the Great, the emperor of the Roman Empire. He had started his political career as one of the four Roman Emperors at the time of the division of power. He ruled the Western Empire from the city of Trier (now in Germany). He later waged battle against the other emperors and emerged finally as the sole emperor. It … [Read more...]

May 21, 996 The Pope Gregory V crowns Otto III as the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Gregory V was the first German Pope. Otto III later brought troops to Italy to combat the forces of an anti-pope, John XVI who attempted to take the office of pope from Gregory V. Otto restored Gregory in 998. May 21, ca. 1250 May 21 is the feast day of … [Read more...]