Der Deutsche Bauernkrieg : The German Peasants Revolt Of 1525

Protestant ideals also contributed a major role in causing the peasants’ revolts. Leonhard von Eck, the Chancellor Bavaria, understood the key function of Protestant ideas when he reported to Duke Ludwig of Bavaria that “this rebellion has been undertaken to repress the princes and the nobility and has its ultimate source in Lutheran teaching for the peasants relate a majority of their demands to the Word of God, the Gospel, and brotherly love.”(Doc 1). Von Eck has deciphered that the peasants’ drive to reform is based from the Lutheran religion, which stresses the devotion God’s Law and divine grace. Although Von Eck is a superior government official who has a duty in upholding order and stability, his assessment is insightful (Pov 4). Martin Luther and other Protestant reformers had proclaimed the spiritual freedoms of Christians from the Catholic Church. Peasants’ leaders such as

The German Peasants’ Revolts were a series of revolts occurring from 1524-1526 in which peasants ran amok throughout the German states, with some groups converging on the town of Memmingen, Swabia, to form a Peasant Parliament and voice their grievances in the Twelve Articles of the Swabian Peasants. The revolts were caused by religious teachings and abuse inflicted by lords, and were responded to with support, as well as condemnation.

During the year 1549 there were 27 rebellions and it arguably sparked from a number of different causes. Many argue it was because of changes made to religion during Henry VI’s reign, but it wasn’t the most influential as there were a number of other factors involved which resulted in violent outbreaks. For example economic, social, political and class issues meant many people of a lower social class views were ignored and therefore caused a great deal of pent up anger in the lower orders.

Nevertheless, this social injustice was the reason that leads to the farmers’ Revolt, seeking to remedy their

Grain stores were looted, chateaux were attacked and documents listing peasant obligations were seized and destroyed. The National Assembly realised that it had to act – the mainly bourgeoisie deputies feared for their property following the Great Fear which had spread the peasant rising throughout most of France. Consequently, the National Assembly issues the August Decrees, considered an important start in the process of dismantling the ancien regime. They marked the end of noble power and the privilege of birth, establishing a society instead based upon civil equality. The peasants were satisfied with this new regime as it removed their feudal obligations and thus they gave their support to the revolution in fear that if they did not support the changes, aristocratic privileges and the tithe would return. The support of the peasants had proved to be vital and necessary primarily due to the fact that they had such a huge influence because they made up such a huge amount of the population. The events in Paris had served as a catalyst which sparked the revolt in the countryside and brought about the August Decrees.

To achieve this goal, I have organized my paper into four main sections. In the first section, I provide an account of what happened during the 17th century

The most common response to the revolts was chaos and rioting (5,11,7). In document 5, a theologian/journalist states what happened at Weinsburg when the peasants arrived there.

During the Early Modern Period (around 1500-1800), the many peasants of Europe rebelled more and more against those in power. Though, by modern standards, rebellion seeks to change and reform a system, peasant rebellions sought to revert to a former status quo or keep the existing system of governance. As the documents show, rebellions’ goals were focused on a fairness towards the mistreated lower class in alignment with their Christian beliefs. The Early Modern Period is a notably violent moment in history, with many wars and bloody uprisings.

The Protest Reformation is one of the most revolutionary events that have occurred. This was the Reformation that gave people a decision to be Catholic or Protestant. There was never a standard or clear alternative. Through the 16th and 17 centuries your decision may cost you your life.

The crusades lasted for a total of 195 years. There are eight official crusades there is one minor crusade known as The peasant crusade.

The German Peasants’ Revolt arose due to the various interpretations of Martin Luther’s ideals. Also, the peasants’ desire to end serfdom and seek equality within the social classes led to the revolt. The responses of the revolt varied from condemnation to sympathy and support towards the peasants.

Reports to Duke Albert of Prussia stated how the “authorities have torn out the hair of their subjects,” suggesting that the authoritative response to the revolt was violent, and gives reason as to why the nobility came out victorious in the end (Doc 9). The princes felt the right to serfdom, having “purchased this right for a considerable sum of money,” so the sense of entitlement felt by the nobility to put the peasants under serfdom provided reason for their violent rebuttal (Doc

in 1350. In the face of imminent social upheaval, the parliament tried to maintain the old order by coming up with legislation to check increased wages and the movement of labour. However, such measures were limited in effectiveness and led to resentment from the serfs. The landlords also tried to reduced their need for workers by fencing off their land and reared sheep instead. The series of events eventually resulted in the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.

The German Peasants’ War of 1525 has been seen as both the last great medieval peasant revolt and as the first modern revolution. For more than 150 years the War has been the topic of ongoing historical debate. Indeed, it has always been a subject of contention among historians who seek to determine its relation to the Reformation. While most Reformation scholars have arrived at a consensus as to the series of events that transpired during the war, there has not been such agreement regarding the perplexing inner dynamic of the uprising. Set against the backdrops of both the German revolutions of 1848 and the political developments that characterized 1970s Germany, this debate has seen engagement from the historians Friedrich Engels and Max Steinmetz, who provide a Marxist interpretation that attempts to depict the war as the “high point of the early bourgeois revolution”, locating it within a German revolutionary tradition by citing the socioeconomic tensions that arose through the peasants’ oppressive relationship with the feudal lordship of their rural communities. Departing from the Marxist interpretation, Günther Franz has entered into the debate, defining the revolt as a “political revolution of the German peasant estate” that was made possible by the Reformation. Although he acknowledges the troubling nature of the evident economic difficulties, Franz understands the war as a response to the changing political structure of 16th century Germany. Submitting his own

The renaissance and the reformation were two of the most significant changes in history that has shaped our world today. Both of these great time periods are strikingly similar in some ways and totally different in others. This is because the renaissance was a change from religion to humanism whether it is in art or literature; it is where the individual began to matter. However, the reformation was,” in a nutshell,” a way to reform the church and even more so to form the way our society is today. The first half of this paper will view the drop in faith, the economic powers, and the artistic and literary changes during the renaissance, while the second half will view the progresses and changes the church makes during the reformation.