Work / monument · text

Edict of Worms

1521 · 16th century

The Edict of Worms was a decree issued by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V on 25 May 1521, at the close of the Diet of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw and a heretic. It ordered his arrest, banned the reading and possession of his writings, and forbade anyone to shelter him. Protected by Frederick the Wise of Saxony and other princes, Luther was never arrested, and the edict proved impossible to enforce in the German lands where the Reformation took hold.

Great speeches

Luther at the Diet of Worms18 April 1521
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Edict of Worms. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/edict-of-worms
MLA
“Edict of Worms.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/edict-of-worms. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Edict of Worms.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/edict-of-worms.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Edict of Worms’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/edict-of-worms (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻