lives together continued on for 21 more years. Then in February of 1546, on a trip to his birthplace to settle a dispute, Luther fell ill and died before Katharine could be brought to him. Her husband, friend and helpmate was gone. Having to flee their farm due to war and heavy taxes, the remainder of her days were spent in poverty; she and the children were supported through the generosity of others. In 1552, when another outbreak of the Black Plague struck, she was forced to leave the city of Wittenberg. Katharine was involved in an accident at the city gates. Having
been thrown from a wagon and into a body of icy water, she was carried out, her body covered in bruises. Her health never recovered. On her deathbed three months later, she was purported to say, “I will cleave to my Lord Christ as the burr to the cloth.” From the casual observer, it may seem that Katharine had very little influence on the world. Most of what we do know of her comes from Martin Luther himself. Even so, she had the heart and ear of the man who led the Protestant Reformation. ♥
17