“The morning star of Wittenberg”: Katharina von Bora’s image in the historical memory of Germany in 19th century

Abstract

The article explores various ways Katharina von Bora Martin Luther’s wife was perceived by the German intellectuals in the 19th century. The author intends not only to reveal the reasons of turning to this person in a certain historical period but also to define the key differences in her image’s interpretation compared to the previous centuries. To achieve this goal the author explores the biographical works, which were dedicated to the wife of the founder of the Reformation tradition and their married life. Such similar genre of works gives the most complete representation of the dynamical transformation of Katharina’s image, which was conditioned by social processes in Germany during the whole of the 19th century: starting with the private life development during the Biedermeier period and ending with high industrialization and the rise of the national feelings. Another important role plays the growth of the German women’s movement. Therefore, it is possible to see the construction of a “new” Katharina von Bora in every period, and with it a new ideal of women’s identity, a moral example for the lady of the house self-identification.