Hutten was a German humanist, friend and defender of Luther. He attended various universities including Mainz, Cologne and Leipzig.

Crowned Poet Laureate, he entered into the service of Albrecht of Mainz as councilor. He wrote many treatises castigating the mandated celibacy of the clergy, the luxury and moral excesses of the papal court, and Rome’s fiscal exploitation of the German nation.

Despite his antipapal stance, Hutten viewed the controversy following Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses as a mere "monks squabble." It would take almost two years for Hutten to consider himself an ally to Luther.

Albrecht finally withdrew his patronage of Hutten, and in 1520, he found refuge at the castle Ebernburg, home to his friend Franz von Sickingen, a powerful knight and person of influence. At the Diet of Worms, next to Luther, Hutten was the most prominent antipapal attendee.