1,752
edits
Changes
no edit summary
==The Peasant Wars Origins==
The German Peasant Wars of 1524-1527 were a mass movement series of revolts aimed at overthrowing the existing socio-economic system in German-speaking lands <ref> Zagorín, Pérez. Rebels and rulers, 1500–1660 (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984). pp. 187, 188, 190 </ref>. The Revolt not only involve peasants, but also merchants, artisans, members of the minor nobility and Protestant pastors. They all united to change the prevailing system. There were many reasons for the outbreak. The German Peasants, especially the wealthier groups, wanted to safeguard a hard-earned prosperity that they believed was under threat from the nobility<ref> Zagorin, p. 116</ref>. The wealthy class of German peasant had become relatively prosperous since the Black Death, however, they felt that the nobility was threatening their prosperity. Feudalism had been greatly weakened since the Black Death but many of the rights and privileges of the German nobility still remained. They used these traditional entitlements to seize more of the peasants’ wealth through taxes and dues <ref> Miller, Douglas. Armies of the German Peasants' War 1524–1526 (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003), p 6, 9, 14</ref>. The German elite also could use the Roman law, which was increasingly popular in German lands to enforce their rights and increasingly many peasants found themselves forced to hand over more of their resources to the elite or to perform more unpaid labor for their lords. Roman law unlike traditional customs made it much easier for German landlords and nobles to demand extra rents and dues. This resulted in the early sixteenth witness an increasing antagonism between the elite and the lower classes. Then there was the unintended consequences of Luther’s attack on the Church hierarchy. He has shown to many Germans satisfaction that the traditional power of the Catholic Church had only been a social construction and was not sanctioned by God. This was revolutionary. Luther only wanted people to see the Catholic Church as something that was not sanctioned by God, he still believed that the social system in Germany, based on ‘orders’ was pre-ordained by God <ref> Miller, p119</ref>. Many Protestant pastors and peasant leaders did not agree, such as Thomas Muntzer and they believed that feudalism and the existing social order could be changed and that it was not ordained by God but only designed by the elite for their own advantage and gain <ref>Scott, Tom. Thomas Müntzer: Theology and Revolution in the German Reformation. London: Macmillan, 1989), p. 45</ref>. Many of the educated peasants had also been disappointed with the course of the Reformation and they believed that it did not go far enough and they wanted a more radical church, one that was not hierarchical and dominated by the local notable.
==The Peasant War==
The revolt covered large areas of Europe and it began in Alsace-Lorraine (now in France) and spread as far west as Austria. It was often led by members of the minor nobility and leading peasants in their communities. The revolts usually began with a symbolic act of defiance such as a refusal to carry out some order or custom. Soon the peasants would begin to arm themselves and formed companies based on local territorial units<ref> Scott, p. 117</ref>. Many of the peasants had served as soldiers but the majority were untrained and only armed with farm implements. The first revolts were in 1524 and they had spread to all of South West Germany by 1525. Soon there were revolts in the Black Forest Area. The local elite used their own forces and urban militias to try and quell the disturbances. In the past, such measures had worked but the peasants were too large in number and too well-organised. In Swabia, the peasants published the 12 Articles and these later were adopted by other rebels elsewhere and they became the manifesto of the movement. The 12 Articles demanded the dismantling of much of the old feudal system and the rollback of many new innovations in the law. Some of the articles also demanded that ‘tithes’ or payments to the church be only spent locally and that local communities had a greater role in the governing of their churches. The 12 Articles sought a social, economic and religious revolution in German-speaking lands. The 12 Articles were published and spread throughout Germany and this inspired more peasants to take up arms<ref>Miller, p. 120</ref>. It seemed that members of the lesser nobility and the urban elite would side with the peasants and the Imperial government and the great nobles were forced to make concessions to these groups. Once they had received their concessions they sided with the great nobles. This allowed the nobles to come together to defeat the peasant armies, that had seized large areas of Germany. In the southwest of Germany the rebels heartland the nobles formed the Swabian League. This League was a military alliance and it formed its own army. Militarily, the nobles had all the advantaged they had professional officers and a cavalry. The peasants resisted at times fiercely and used wagons and field works to defend themselves, but the army of the nobles prevailed</ref> Miller, p. 117</ref>. The professional army of the Swabian League and similar alliances throughout Germany soon had the upper-hand, they killed thousands of peasants in battle and executed many others. Those who surrendered had to pay hefty fines. The Peasants soon became radicalized and the largest band was led by the radical preacher Thomas Muntzer. Both sides perpetrated atrocities. At the battle of Frankhausen, the Swabian League shattered the peasant army. They later captured and executed Thomas Muntzer. Sporadic resistance continued until 1527 but the Peasant revolt had been completely defeated, with the deaths of up to 100,000 people of all classes <ref> Miller, p. 121</ref>.
