Latest / The History of Germany: Kingdoms, War, and Rebuilding Europe — Fexingo History / The Peasants' War: Germany's Bloody Uprising of 1525
Transcript
- Lucas: So, we've talked a lot about the Reformation in Germany — Luther, the princes, the theological battles. But there's another side to that story, one that's often overlooked. In 1525, the Holy Roman Empire was torn apart by the largest popular uprising it had seen: the Peasants' War. Luna: The Peasants' War... I've heard the name, but I don't know much about it. Lucas: It's a huge event. Hundreds of thousands of peasants, miners, and townspeople rose up against their lords, inspired by the Reformation's talk of Christian liberty and social justice. They wanted an end to serfdom, fair rents, the right to hunt and fish. And they had a document — the Twelve Articles of Memmingen — which laid out their demands. It's often called the first European call for human rights. Luna: Wait — the Twelve Articles? That sounds important. What did they say? Lucas: They were remarkably moderate. The first article demanded that each community should be able to choose its own pastor. Others called for the abolition of serfdom, fair taxes, the right to use common lands, and that all laws should be based on Scripture. They weren't trying to overthrow the social order entirely; they wanted reform within a Christian framework. They distributed it in print, and it spread like wildfire. Lucas: But not all rebel groups were peaceful. In the south, radical preachers like Thomas Müntzer took a more apocalyptic line. Müntzer had been a chaplain at Zwickau, then in Allstedt. He believed that the end times were near and that the godless — meaning the nobles and clergy — had to be destroyed. He gathered an army at Mühlhausen and marched north. Luna: So Müntzer was the radical counterpoint to Luther? Lucas: Exactly. And that's where things get really interesting. Luther initially sympathized with the peasants' grievances, but he was horrified by the violence. As the uprising spread — through Swabia, Franconia, Thuringia, Alsace — Luther wrote a pamphlet called 'Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of the Peasants'. He urged the nobles to 'stab, kill, and destroy' them 'like mad dogs'. It's one of the harshest things he ever wrote. Luna: Wow. So Luther went from reformer to establishment defender. Lucas: Pretty much. The nobles didn't need much urging. The Swabian League — a military alliance of princes and free cities — raised an army under Georg Truchsess von Waldburg. They marched against the rebel bands. There were dozens of small battles and massacres. At Weinsberg, the peasants killed the Count of Helfenstein in a brutal revenge — he was forced to run the gauntlet and was killed. But the nobles' retaliation was far worse. Lucas: The decisive battle came on May 15, 1525, at Frankenhausen. Müntzer's army — about 8,000 men — faced a well-trained force of princes. The peasants had little more than farm tools and a few cannons. Müntzer told them God would protect them. He said he'd catch enemy bullets in his sleeve. But the princes' artillery cut them down. Over 6,000 peasants died. Müntzer was captured, tortured, and executed. Luna: 6,000 dead in one battle... and the war overall? Lucas: Estimates range from 70,000 to 100,000 dead, mostly peasants. The rebellion was crushed everywhere. And the aftermath was harsh: the princes tightened their grip, serfdom actually got worse in some areas. The Reformation in Germany became more tied to the territorial princes, not to popular movements. It was a massive setback for common people's rights. Lucas: There were some colorful characters, too. Götz von Berlichingen — the famous knight with the iron hand — he led a rebel band for a while, though he later claimed he was forced into it. And Florian Geyer, a knight who genuinely sided with the peasants and fought at Frankenhausen. He escaped but was killed later. It's a story of tragedy and lost possibility. Luna: It's striking how different this could have turned out if the peasants had been more united or the nobles less brutal. Lucas: Absolutely. The Peasants' War is a reminder that the Reformation wasn't just about theology — it was about power, economics, and social order. And its memory lingered. In East Germany, the communists claimed Müntzer as a revolutionary hero. In the West, he was seen as a fanatic. But the Twelve Articles remain a powerful document. They were printed in hundreds of editions in 1525 alone. People wanted change. Luna: I'm going to look up those Twelve Articles. They sound ahead of their time. Lucas: They are. Demanding that all authority be based on Scripture — that's radical. And they were written not by intellectuals but by peasants and theologians meeting in Memmingen. It's a moment when ordinary people tried to shape their own destiny. And they paid a terrible price for it.