The Wedding of Magdeburg

Sarah Torbeck reviews a new translation of Gertrude von le Fort's classic novel of the Thirty Years' War.

The Wedding of Magdeburg

By Gertrude von le Fort 

Publisher: Ignatius Press

For some of us, the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) is nothing more than a shadowy nomad, that roams the mental landscapes of forgotten lessons from World History or Comparative Religions classes. 

I am among that less-than-illustrious group of students, and I fully confess that I remember almost nothing about the Thirty Years' War. Thus, I found it necessary to seek remediation on the topic since I had volunteered to review The Wedding of Magdeburg by Gertrude von le Fort for Catholic Mom. 

Is This Book About a War or a Wedding?

The phrase/title “Wedding of Magdeburg” is a euphemistic and historical reference to the bloody, and catastrophic battle that resulted in the near annihilation of the German city Magdeburg during the height of the Thirty Years' War in May of 1631. 

The hostilities and grievances that led to the Thirty Years' War are myriad, but they can be distilled down to this: After 1517, the Protestant Reformation blazed across Germany, with various cities aligning with the Catholic Church or Protestantism. Magdeburg was Protestant, and the Catholic Edict of Restitution basically required Europe to reunite under the Catholic Faith; this was the catalyst that led to Magdeburg’s humiliating near-annihilation. 

Shops, meeting houses, barns, and homes were burned to the ground, while the Magdeburg experience would eventually serve as a warning to future generations of the brutality of war and the casualties of unbridled vengeance. 

Hence, The Wedding of Magdeburg is an allegorical treatment of these historical events. The author employs the upcoming nuptials of her two main characters (Erdmuth and Willigis), as they attempt to navigate the threat and reality of war beneath the metaphorical construct of a wedding. 

Initially, I found myself underwhelmed by the allegorical nature of this book. I am not an ardent fan of allegory, but fortunately I pushed through, and found myself awestruck by the chivalrous and sacrificial metaphors that leapt from the page. The author leaves little doubt as to her meaning (s), and the implied warnings to those who fail to recognize the broken history of humanity, and the only remedy for that brokenness: the Blood of the Lamb. 

A Spiritual Allegory

I highly recommend this book for its spiritual import. There is much to be garnered here, but be aware that allegorical literature is fairly uncommon in our current culture, so it may take several pages to fully apprehend the author’s literary prowess. (Well, at least it did for me.) 

I do not recommend this book for younger audiences. The subject matter is mature, and even mature audiences should take note, and do some background investigation into the Thirty Years War before opening this book. It will provide some much-needed context. 

As an aside: It is interesting and perhaps sobering to note, after these many centuries, the cataclysmic effect that the Reformation had on Christendom: so much anger, pride, hatred, and bloodshed. Martin Luther once said, “The more and the longer we preach, the worse matters grow” (quoted by D. Johann Georg Walch, Moral Results.) 

Indeed. 

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Copyright 2025 Sarah Torbeck
Images: Canva