Count Ulrich of Lindburg

Questions about conscience trouble Count Ulrich in his castle beside the river Saal in Saxony. He remembers hearing Martin Luther defend his beliefs before the emperor at Worms, and his confessor's explanations leave him seeking clearer answers. When Ulrich's son Eric wishes to study at Wittemburg, his father agrees, while Dame Margaret fears the influence of the university's teachers. The family's arguments make education a matter of both affection and religious allegiance.

William Henry Giles Kingston places this historical tale for young readers within the German Reformation, presenting Luther's teaching with clear sympathy. Eric attends a sermon that insists faith must be voluntary and urges persuasion rather than force. Domestic conversations sit alongside extended discussions of Scripture, authority and charity. For readers interested in religious historical fiction, the book offers a view of reform through a household's disagreements and a student's encounters with new ideas.