This document provides a 3-page autobiographical account from the perspective of Catharinen Becker, a fictional 16th century peasant woman from Germany. It summarizes her life experiences, focusing on the impact of religious and political events on peasant women. It describes her family and village life, duties, and discussions with other women. It also discusses the effects of major events like the Protestant Reformation and figures like Martin Luther, whose 95 Theses challenged the Catholic Church and spread new ideas that reached her village. Catharinen expresses how reading, a skill her mother taught her, allowed her to engage with these changes and new perspectives.

1. Judge 1
Nikki Judge
nikki.judge.writes@gmail.com
(406) 827-5016
Permanent Address: 553 Prospect Creek Road
Thompson Falls, MT 59873
A Simple Woman in Times of Change –
The Autobiography of Catharinen Becker
A Fictional Peasant Woman from the Early 16th Century
by
Nikki Judge
For
HIS374: The Renaissance and the Reformation
Instructor: James Fennessy

2. Judge 2
On this 21st day of October in the year of our Lord 1560, unto the Secretary to His Grace
Henry V of Mecklenburg1 do I, Catharinen Becker, your most humble servant, provide the
requested biography of the experiences of my life, focusing on the impact of the religious and
political events on the lives of peasant women. Of myself: I have had the blessing of a happy
family. My father, Lukke Becker, has been the Lord Duke’s forest master for many years and I
became the wife of Godeke Becker on my 14th birthday on May 2, 1515. We lived with my
parents until my 16th year when we moved to our own cottage on the outskirts of Federow, from
which my husband easily accesses the lands for which he is responsible. My mother, Cordt
Vogelsank,2 learned to read as a child when her mother worked in a great house and she has
taught all her children the same ability. I have given birth to five children, three of whom have
survived to adulthood. I am happy to have grandchildren that come to me for stories and lessons
– especially for reading.
We of the peasantry live a life far removed from those of the great Lords and Ladies who
rule over us. My life has always centered on the home and hearth with which God has blessed
me.3 My lord husband cares for the Ducal hunting lands near Lake Muritz, having taken over the
hunting lands cared for by my father in 1540.4 It is easy to give him the honorific of “lord” as
head of our household and master of the hearth for over the years he has become master of my
heart. Like most of the women in our village, I spend my time primarily on family matters and
the spinning of wool. We often sing the Spinnstuben (spinning songs) or discuss the important
1Editors, Royalty Guide, Mecklenburg, accessed October16, 2013,
http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/families.htm.
2 Joshua Mittleman, the Academy of Saint Gabriel, The Medieval Names Archive, accessed September 10, 2013,
http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/german.shtml.
3 Steven Kreis, The History Guide, Lectures on Modern European History, Lecture 3: The Protestant Reformation,
Last modified August 3, 2009, accessed October 6, 2013, www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture3c.html
4 Editors, Progenealogists.com, Map of Germany, circa 1600, undated website, accessed October9, 2013.
http://www.progenealogists.com/images/Meck.gif.

3. Judge 3
events in our lives as we spin or go from one task to another.5 Our lives answer to the seasons
with many women helping their husbands in the field in the spring with planting, summer brings
the caring of the gardens and preserving the food to get us through the cold of winter. Fall’s
harvest is divided between the taxes due the Duke, the communal shares to Federow, and for our
household. Winter is the struggle to stay warm and work on handcrafts and the making of tools,
preparing for the Spring planting to come.6 We talk of the news of the day and the lives we are
living. We share in the deaths and births, tragedies, and good fortune of all in the village.
Our small hamlet has grown considerably in size over the years7 and the men have had to
spend time in reaching decisions on some of the issues that face us. We women have taken
much to discussing the place we have in the world. We often discuss Goodman Anton Woensam
comments on the qualities of a woman8 where he makes it easy for women to know their place
by the parts of her body. We complain at the prices that we have to pay for goods we cannot
grow or make ourselves. Yet, I remember the happiness when we could start adding to our
incomes through sales of extra garden goods, although there are still bad years where it has been
difficult to pay the taxes and land fees to His Grace, the Lord Duke.
Though “mere women”9 we still have interest in the outer workings of the world. Many
matters of import have touched our little village and choosing which to discuss has been difficult.
5 Merry Wiesner-Hanks. Early Modern Europe,1450-1789,pg 136
6 Merry Wiesner-Hanks. Early Modern Europe,1450-1789, 192-193
7 Kishlansky, Geary, O’Brien, Civilization in the West,Chapter 15, accessed October10, 2013 (Pearson Education,
2010). http://wps.ablongman.com/long_kishlansky_cw_6/35/9180/2350097.cw/index.html.
8Max Geisberg, The German Single-Leaf Woodcut: 1500-1550,revised and edited by Walter L. Strauss.4 vols. New
York: Hacker Art Books, 1974, vol. 4, p. 1511, accessed October 11, 2013. http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-
dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=3711
9 John Calvin, A Sermon of Maister John Caluine,upon the first Epistle of Paul, to Timothie, published for the
benefite and edifying of the Churche of God, translated out of French into English,by L.T. At London,imprinted for
G. Bishop at T. Woodcoke, 1579. Website Facsimile accessed October13, 2013,
http://www.truecovenanter.com/calvin/calvin_19_on_Timothy.html

4. Judge 4
I have read books printed on the Gutenberg printing press.10 The village women often discuss the
hubris of John Calvin (1509-1564)11 and his misogynistic conclusions with vehemence. I have
been a witness to the change brought to the village through the auspices of Martin Luther (1483-
1546)12 and his 95 Theses13 and the glorious Reformation it aroused through which I know my
heart has been changed as I saw the wisdom of man’s value before God. Luther’s
forerunnerRudolphus Agricola (1442/3 – 1485)14 also has had a strong impact on the village.
Such a matter of pride for many of our region, it has been my honor to enjoy the music which
has become a hallmark of our country’s peace.15 I do not have the eloquence of the
pamphleteers such as Argula von Grumbach (1492-1568)16 or her Grace, The Duchess Elizabeth
von Braunschweig-Luneburg (1510-1558)17 and apologize for that lack and can only hope my
simple reporting suits your needs.
I was shocked to have been asked to provide you information on such small things as a
peasant woman’s life and thoughts. Were I to say the greatest joy of my life, other than those of
the duty a woman holds to her God and to her lord and husband, it would have to be the ability to
10 Lee M. Pappas and Nicholas C. J. Pappas, History 226: World History from the Renaissance to Imperialism,
undated,Internet Reference, accessed September 10, 2013. http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/266LecN.html,
11Chris Trueman, History Learning Site, John Calvin, accessed October19, 2013, last updated 2013,
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/John_Calvin.htm
12 Chris Trueman, History Learning Site, Martin Luther, accessed October 19, 2013, last updated 2013,
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Martin_Luther0.htm
13 Paul A. Bishop, Martin Lutherand the Protestant Reformation. Accessed January 3, 2013,
https://www.hccfl.edu/media/173616/ee2luther.pdf.
14 Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Rudolph Agricola." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1, accessed October17, 2013,
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01231b.htm.
15Editors, Goethe Institut, Music in German-speaking territories in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, last
modified September 2011, accessed October 10, 2013. http://www.goethe.de/kue/mus/alt/rue/mit/en8095311.htm
16Ulrike Zitzlsperger, Mother,Martyr and Mary Magdalene:German Female Pamphleteers and their Self-images.
History. Jul2003, Vol. 88 Issue 291, p379-392. 14p., accessed via 360 Link, October 9, 2013.
http://pn8vx3lh2h.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-
8&rfr_id=info:sid/summon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.ati
tle=Mother%2C+martyr+and+Mary+Magdalene%3A+German+female+pamphleteers+and+their+self-
images&rft.jtitle=History&rft.au=Ulrike+Zitzlsperger&rft.date=2003-07-01&rft.issn=0018-2648&rft.eissn=1468-
229X&rft.volume=88&rft.issue=291&rft.spage=379&rft.externalDBID=PHIS&rft.externalDocID=751615941&par
amdict=en-US
17 Zitzlsperger, , Mother, Martyr and Mary Magdalene:German Female Pamphleteers and their Self-images.
Accessed October9, 2013.

5. Judge 5
read and write the language of our country. It is because of this great gift from my mother, who
taught me how to read as a young child, that I am able to complete the task you have set before
me. Reading has become much more important with the Reformation so that the individual may
engage in a personal relationship with God by reading his words. Reading is actually far more
prominent than writing now, but more are learning to create the letters as well. While nearly half
of the tradesman one would meet are literate, only a very small fraction of peasant women like
myself know their letters.18 Many times the women of the village will volunteer to spin my share
if I will read to them as they work.
Martin Luther created quite a fuss with his 95 Theses, more formally called his
Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences; dated October 31, 1517.19 Luther’s 95
Theses were a list of the issues he believed worthy of debate and discussion for the sake of the
Church. Many of us in the village had strayed and purchased indulgences but since reading
Luther’s work and discussing it we all realize now how wrong we were. His concern for our
immortal soul is well seen in his 67th theses: “The treasures of the indulgences are nets with
which they now fish for the riches of men.”20 We are now conscious of our value and worth in
God’s eyes, how we are responsible for the stains we place on our immortal souls, and how we,
as the race of man, are given God’s Grace by God and God alone.21 We also realize our
responsibility to ourselves and to our fellow man. Only God can make a judgment on man’s soul,
18 Merry Wiesner-Hanks. Early Modern Europe,1450-1789. Pgs 120-122.
19 Paul A. Bishop, Martin Lutherand the Protestant Reformation. Accessed October19, 2013,
https://www.hccfl.edu/media/173616/ee2luther.pdf
20 Adolph Spaeth, L.D. Reed, Henry Eyster Jacobs, et. al., Trans, & Eds. Martin Luther’s 95
Theses, (Philadelphia: A.J. Holman Company, 1915), Vol1, 29-38, Gutenberg Project, accessed
October 6, 2013, http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/274/pg274.html
21 Ibid.

6. Judge 6
we need no Pope in Rome to sell us keys he does not have. Rudolphus Agricola’s22 influence on
Luther’s writing is easy to see, especially from his eloquent letters.23 His writings focused on the
value of man did much to set the seeds of the reformation of faith and see the rise of the true
faith, Protestantism, along with causing many of the wars that have scarred the land.24 We scare
ourselves with talk about the acts against the radical Anabaptists who do not believe that the
grace of God can be given without consent dooming the poor infants to purgatory.25 I have had
the honor of reading Agricola’s De Formando Studio which he published in 1484 and, in fact, we
have structured our lessons program for our children with that framework as much as we can.26
It is through the writings of these two men that we have learned that there is value in just being
human, a lesson that has truly changed how we see ourselves.
Tempers flare and even fighting has occurred as we have discussed the teachings of the
radical reformist John Calvin. His hard line beliefs and strong advocation of predetermination
does not sit well with the independent nature of the village. Calvin’s teaching that there are a
select few souls predetermined for salvation27 conflicts with Luther’s teaching of our receiving
salvation from the hands of God. None of us women, nor their very intelligent husbands, see any
real truth to Calvin’s words on womanhood. One of his worst transgressions is shown in his
commentary on 1 Timothy 2: “13. For Adam was first created.”28 If man is so superior, why is
22 Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Rudolph Agricola." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1, accessed
October 17, 2013, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01231b.htm.
23 Steven Kreis, The History Guide, Lectures on Modern European Intellectual History, Renaissance Humanism,
Last modified August 3, 2009, accessed October 6, 2013, www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture3c.html
24 Merry Wiesner-Hanks. Early Modern Europe,1450-1789. pgs 163-169
25 Lee M. Pappas, et al. http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/266LecN.html, History 226: World History from the
Renaissance to Imperialism.
26 Ibid.
27 Merry Wiesner-Hanks. Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789, pg 169-171
28 John Calvin, A Sermon of Maister John Caluine, upon the first Epistle of Paul, to Timothie,
published for the benefite and edifying of the Churche of God, translated out of French into
English,by L.T. At London, imprinted for G. Bishop at T. Woodcoke, 1579. Website Facsimile accessed October13,
2013, http://www.truecovenanter.com/calvin/calvin_19_on_Timothy.html

7. Judge 7
it that it was given unto woman to bring life into the world? I know Mr. Calvin would condemn
me, but as I am old I can admit to not believing in the superiority of the male gender.
Music has been a part of the blood and heart of the German people for centuries. It is
with great pride that we hum and sing songs of the people and hear the beauty of the music
created and it has been my joy to have added my voice. The minnesingers do not travel to us
much anymore, but one of the newer women in the village has had the honor of hearing Hermann
the Monk sing. Those few of us that have traveled beyond the village speak to others of a new
music that is only intended to be listened to and not sung.29 This new music plays on and pulls
the emotions of the person hearing it, thus creating an emotional journey in the music. It has
been my honor to hear the works of Master Heinrich Finck’s Ich Stund einem Morgen and
Greiner Zanner (for brass quartet)30. So much more than just the music of the religious these
glorious sounds truly are a glorification to God in their beauty alone. Music remains a big part of
our lives in the village. Work songs are a large portion of how we share the toil of work whether
it is harvesting the hay and wheat from the fields or spinning in the shade by the well.
Argula von Grumbach was the wife of Friedrich von Grumbach. A contemporary of
Martin Luther she corresponded with him directly regarding Protestantism. She and her husband
were under serious scrutiny for promoting the Reformation through writing about it. She also
spoke about it considerably in her travels around Southwest Germany. She wrote from her heart
and her conviction of the Protestant cause.31 Elizabeth von Braunschweig-Luneburg, daughter of
Joachim I, Elector of Brandenburg was much swayed by the Protestant leanings of her mother,
29 Editors, Goethe Institut, Music in German-speaking territories in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,last
modified September 2011, accessed October 10, 2013. http://www.goethe.de/kue/mus/alt/rue/mit/en8095311.htm
30Editors, Allmusic.com, Heinrich FInck discography,accessed October20, 2013.
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/heinrich-finck-mn0001193841
31Natalie K. Watson, Feminist Theology (Google eBook),accessed via internet October 20, 2013,
http://books.google.com/books?id=3tUjrKHC6NoC&pg=PA6&dq=Argula+von+Grumbach&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3Th
kUoTUKaWDiQLsn4HIBQ&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Argula%20von%20Grumbach&f=false

8. Judge 8
Elisabeth, a daughter of the Danish royal house. Following the death of her husband, she used
her considerable power as reigning duchess to promote the new religion in her duchy. Her
writings consist of many helpful things including songs and prayers for us to use in our services
and observations.32 I mention these great and strong women specifically as it was partly through
their writings in the pamphlets that we “mere women” of the village were able to connect with
the happenings of the outer world.
It is true that there have been tremendous happenings in the outer world that I have not
addressed here. We have heard of the great travels of the adventurers from Portugal and Spain
but that has little to do with us here in Federow. In the years that I have lived here the ebb and
flow of life itself has changed little. We plant extra to make a little more, we watch out for one
another and help and do our part in the communal works and we give our due worship to God.
However, I think what has changed us most is knowing that we are men and women whose
souls, like those of the nobles, can only be judged by God and not by any mere man. This has
allowed us to see ourselves in a positive light and move confidently into our futures knowing that
the path we trod is not only the right thing as is just, but also to ensure the salvation of our souls
by God. That I think is the difference. We are still indebted to His Grace, the Lord Duke for all
that we have and for which we are humbly grateful. His Grace’s wisdom in his choices for us is
never without good result. I hope that I have answered your questions and that I have been able
to allow you a window into the life and heart of our village of Federow.
32Editors, Luther2017.com, Duchess Elisabeth of Brunswick-Luneburg,accessed October19, 2013,
http://www.luther2017.de/en/p/18817/duchess-elisabeth-brunswick-lueneburg

9. Judge 9
REFERENCES CITED
AllMusic.com, Editors, Heinrich Finck discography, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/heinrich-
finck-mn0001193841. Accessed October 19, 2013.
Bishop, Paul A., Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation.
https://www.hccfl.edu/media/173616/ee2luther.pdf. Accessed January 3, 2013.
Calvin, John, A Sermon of Maister John Caluine, upon the first Epistle of Paul, to Timothie,
published for the benefite and edifying of the Churche of God, translated out of French
into English, by L.T. At London, imprinted for G. Bishop at T. Woodcoke, 1579. Website
Facsimile, http://www.truecovenanter.com/calvin/calvin_19_on_Timothy.html. accessed
October 13, 2013
Geisberg, Max., The German Single-Leaf Woodcut: 1500-1550, revised and edited by Walter L.
Strauss. 4 vols. New York: Hacker Art Books, 1974, vol. 4, p. 1511, via web resource
http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/sub_document.cfm?document_id=3711 Accessed
October 11, 2013
Goethe Institut, Editors, Music in German-speaking territories in the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance, last modified September 2011,
http://www.goethe.de/kue/mus/alt/rue/mit/en8095311.htm. Accessed October 10, 2013.
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Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 19 Oct.
2013<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01231b.htm>.
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(Pearson Education, 2010).
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Accessed October 10, 2013.
Kreis, Steven, The History Guide, Lectures on Modern European History, Lecture 3: The
Protestant Reformation, Last modified August 3, 2009,
www.historyguide.org/earlymod/lecture3c.html. Accessed October 6, 2013.
Luther2017.com, Editors, Duchess Elisabeth of Brunswick-Luneburg,
http://www.luther2017.de/en/p/18817/duchess-elisabeth-brunswick-lueneburg. Accessed
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Mittleman, Josh, the Academy of Saint Gabriel, The Medieval Names Archive, http://www.s-
gabriel.org/names/german.shtml. Accessed September 10, 2013
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Imperialism, undated, Internet Reference, http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/266LecN.html.
Accessed September 10, 2013.

10. Judge 10
Progenealogists.com, Editors. Map of Germany, circa 1600, undated website,
http://www.progenealogists.com/images/Meck.gif. Accessed October 9, 2013
Spaeth, Adolph, Reed, L.D. , Jacobs, Henry Eyster J, et. al., Trans, & Eds. Martin Luther’s 95
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Trueman, Chris, History Learning Site, John Calvin,
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Trueman, Chris, History Learning Site, Martin Luther,
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The Royalty Guide, Editors, Mecklenburg, http://www.royaltyguide.nl/families/families.htm.
Accessed October 17, 2013.
Natalie K. Watson, Feminist Theology (Google eBook),
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Zitzlsperger, Ulrike. Mother, Martyr and Mary Magdalene: German Female Pamphleteers and
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