by 
Katharina Fortitude
by Margaret Skea
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Eagerly-awaited conclusion to Katharina Deliverance – Runner-up in the Historical Novel Society New Novel Award 2018.
‘We are none of us perfect, and a streak of stubbornness is what is needed in dealing with a household such as yours, Kat… and with Martin.’
Wittenberg 1525. The unexpected marriage of Martin Luther to Katharina von Bora has no fairytale ending.
A sign of apostasy to their enemies, and a source of consternation to their friends, it sends shock waves throughout Europe.
Yet, as they face persecution, poverty, war, plague and family tragedy, Katharina’s resilience and strength of character shines through.
While this book can be read as a standalone, it is also the powerful conclusion to her story, begun in Katharina: Deliverance.
‘Beautifully written and meticulously researched – historical fiction at its best.’ BooksPlease
A Word from the Author
1000 miles in Saxony – in search of Katharina.
When I told an agent at London Book Fair that I was going to write about Katharina von Bora, Martin Luther’s wife, his reaction was the same as most folk I spoke to over the next two years, ‘Martin Luther had a wife?’
Understandable, for though I wouldn’t have admitted it, I’d only just found out about her myself, and I didn’t know anything other than her existence. But having said it, I was committed, and I set about the task of research. Trickier than I imagined, for hardly anything was known. Her birthplace, parentage, and the reason she’d been put in a convent aged five, were all matters of debate and there was little direct evidence of her character.
So the best I could do was to go to Saxony, to walk where she walked, stand where she stood, touch things she touched and try to imagine her environment through her eyes. 1000 miles later, I felt ready to write. Deliverance and Fortitude are the result.
(Margaret Skea, August 2019)