A master's thesis was discussed in the Department of History, College of Arts which is entitled "The Impact of the Ottoman Empire’s Policy Across the Holy Roman Empire on Martin Luther’s Movement (1520-1555)
The thesis, presented by the student Ali Fayez Jasim, included three chapters. The first chapter dealt with the Ottoman state’s policy towards the Holy Roman Empire and its impact on Martin Luther’s movement (5211-1529). The second chapter involved the expansion of the Ottoman campaigns on the Roman Empire and their impact on Martin Luther’s movement (1530-1541). The third chapter discusses the Ottoman role in recognizing Protestantism
The thesis aims to unveil the influence of the most important external factor that contributed to the success of religious reform in Germany, which is the Ottoman Empire and its raging conflict with the Holy Roman Empire, a factor that received only limited attention by researchers and specialists in Ottoman and European history.
The thesis concluded that the Ottoman Empire effectively contributed to the success of the Lutheran movement and that it was the wall that stood in front of Emperor Charles V and prevented him from striking the Lutheran movement. It also concluded that the Protestants took advantage of the Ottoman-Roman conflict to expand their influence in Germany.
The thesis discussed an important issue that the struggle of the Ottoman Empire, which reached its height and breadth during the reign of Sultan Suleiman with the Roman Empire, was not limited to the military side only, but also included the exploitation of religious movements and their support in order to achieve victory in this conflict.
