Lutheranism's historical path can be traced down two main forks in the road:
The undivided universal Church, as instituted by Jesus, underwent a split during which Western and Eastern Christianity divided. This is called the "Great Schism." Within the Western faction, Lutheranism and Roman Catholicism proved dogmatically irreconcilable. The two Churches remain distinct.
Martin Luther is the 16th century German priestmonk and theologian who is the namesake of the Lutheran Church. So, the simplistic answer is: Lutheranism originated in Germany in the 1500's.