Martin Luther and the Reformation?

Question

Why did Martin Luther appeal to merchants during the Lutheran Reformation?

Answer 1

Dealing with merchants had a few advantages, all of which detract from an widely accepted and grounded church.

Language, financing, transportation for both ideas and people, and a desire to see an eased religious code were all traits of the merchant class. Remember, merchants moved all over the place so they had to be able to deal with all sorts of people. Merchants were also fairly independent, so any motioning to reduce the interference of the Catholic church was a plus.

Specifically, I remember hearing how Luther tried to appeal to English, Dutch, and Burgundian merchants the most. These three ethnic groups each had their own advantages in trading and each had their own interests against the Catholic church. There was also a great deal of interest in establishing merchant networks in Germany, but acquiring their assistance wasn't as important (or easy) here due to how Protestant movements had already gathered the attention of German princes.