(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #250 - 1525: War of
the peasants in Germany (fr, it, pt) [machine translation]
Long ago that the battle of Frankenhausen on 14 May 1525, was somehow "sacred", including
by historians of the former GDR as a symbol of the Peasants' War, because the rebel leader
was Thomas Müntzer himself mystified by his opponents as by his supporters since his
disappearance on May 27 Certainly Müntzer wanted to establish equality on earth, but it
remains a theologian, for whom freedom remains abstract. In reality this battle does not
mark the end of this first great egalitarian movement of modern times. ---- The Peasants'
War (1524-1526) was a wide revolt against the Church and the nobility, for social justice.
---- Illustration: Heinrich Vogtherr the Elder, peasant Troupe in arms, grav. As wood a
written close to Twelve Articles, Augsburg, 1525.
The very term Peasants' War is misleading and only appears late. Contemporary rather speak
of the uprising of "the common man", because the farmers are sometimes added to minors (in
Saxony or in Tyrol) and craftsmen of the cities. Still, most of the troops consisted of
peasants well, since they represented about 80% of the population in the areas affected by
the revolt.
This war has spread throughout the South (except Bavaria) and the center of the Holy Roman
Empire (including Alsace and a small part of the current Moselle), but also to a
German-speaking part of Switzerland and while the West of present-day Austria, to include
the South Tyrol, Italy today.
There is indeed a widespread uprising against the feudal powers, lay and ecclesiastical
princes, nobles and sometimes against the governments of cities.
Religious and social revolution ...
This revolution was prepared by occasional revolts from the last decades of the fifteenth
century, mainly in the southwest of the Empire and in the west of Austria, where farmers,
relatively favored over others regions is paupérisaient because the lords were trying to
appropriate communal (common land) despite strong demographic pressure.
Conspiracies had already emerged in Alsace between 1483 and 1517, under the aegis of
Bundschuh (shoe lace peasants opposed to the heel of the nobles), and in the early
sixteenth century, under the impulse of a lansquenet old [ 1 ], Fritz Jost.
The conspirators demanded the abolition of ecclesiastical courts and the division of
church property, and the end of the domination of the nobles. But these revolts had been
nipped in the bud by treachery or easily suppressed by lack of coordination over time and
between territories. That will be one of the main reasons for the crash of revolutionaries
in the Peasants' War, as the troubles began 1524 in the Black Forest, to generalize in
1525 and to remain until 1526 in Tyrol.
Egalitarianism and virulent anticlericalism Bundschuh of the conspiracies are found in the
claims of the insurgents 1524-1526, especially since it is still in the early years of the
upheavals triggered by the Reformation.
The Twelve Articles of Swabia, often republished and which inspired other texts,
synthesized their reformist-revolutionary designs, combining peasant social demands -
abolition of serfdom, freedom of hunting, fishing, gathering, collecting wood - and
politico-religious slogans - abolition of the monasteries (convents are also very often
looted by insurgents), secularization of church property (resources to be placed at the
service of the "common good"), abolition of the tithe ( Church tax) converted into a tax
used to remunerate the pastor of the parish, the remainder to go to the poor, finally free
election of preachers.
Hans Weiditz symbolic Tree of society
Farmers are the foundation of society, but also dominate pope and emperor it is an
illustration made before the Peasant War, grav. Wood, towards 1518-1519.
This last point was unacceptable to the Catholic Church, hierarchical institution running
up and down; it follows from the idea expressed by Luther of the universal priesthood of
every believer, that is to say at least theoretically anyone could preach the gospel,
unless women anyway!
Incidentally, it seems that in the vast mass of the rebels, there have been only very few
women; patriarchal society has nowhere been questioned and equal claims did not include
female part of the population.
The Reformation and peasants
After attempts at conciliation, Luther condemned the violent uprising, prompting princes
repression. Yet his speech of the previous years had an impact on farmers' claims. He had
indeed conducted an ambiguous struggle against the traditional authorities: the Church,
but also the princes and nobles. He did not spare, while preaching obedience to earthly
authorities certainly unfair, but willed by God.
His constant reference to the Bible as the "word of God" had strongly marked the spirits.
Indeed, farmers relied on the Gospel, arguing that Christ died to liberate all men, he had
established the love of neighbor and God through his creation had instituted a natural
order, all this forming what they called the "divine right" (not to be confused with the
claims of kings!).
These arguments may seem odd today, but back then, it was reasoning within a religion and
therefore a religious vocabulary. However, simply translating them into contemporary
language to understand that there was a strong will of earthly freedom.
Incidentally, it was often remarked that Luther's conceptions of "Christian freedom," he
saw as inner, spiritual freedom had been "evil" interpreted by the insurgents, since they
wanted freedom brings it down to earth !
Here we must emphasize the importance of the Reformation "Swiss", that is to say
Republican, inspired by the Zurich reformer Zwingli. Not that the urban republics such as
Zurich, Basel and Strasbourg have been models of egalitarian democracy, they were
dominated by urban elites, but the air of freedom, even relative, they breathed there
contrasted sharply with subjection imposed on the people of the countryside by the
nobility and the princes.
It is interesting to note that, throughout the geographic extent of the uprising, many
peasant communities were no longer subject to bondage, while it was still largely the case
in the North and East the Empire, where there were no revolts.
Map of the Peasants' War, 1524-1526
The farmers demanded greater freedom than that, very limited, which they tasted already,
wanting to also return to a "golden age" mythical. As set out a common rhetorical question
in much of Europe: "When Adam delved and Eve span, where was the gentleman? "
The time of the massacres
We can not detail here the vicissitudes of the struggle, which ended on massacres
staggering, given the demographics of the era: perhaps 16,000 dead in Saverne lansquenets
massacred by the "good Duke" Antoine de Lorraine, between 3000 and 6,000 died in
Frankenhausen, etc. The total amounts to at least 75,000 deaths.
There were very few battles: When the peasant bands, often superior in numbers but poorly
armed and without combat experience, were confronted with experienced mercenaries, it was
quickly panic. A Frankenhausen eg princely troops seem to have lost more than a few dozen
men. The exception is explained by Tyrolean quality warlord, Michael Gaismair, which I will.
In Germany, one can hardly mention a real hard-fought battle, even if it also turns into
bloody defeat is Scherwiller near Sélestat, Alsace, May 20, 1525.
The peasant bands Average Alsace have a few pieces of artillery, a few cavalry and are
helped by Basel lansquenets; they are hiding in plain, protected by Wagenburg (carriage
camp), defensive device that has often managed to Hussite [ 2 ] a century earlier. But
this great company faces the strongest princely army (over 10,000 fighters) and the most
seasoned, that of the Duke of Lorraine. After a fierce battle, farmers leave about 6,000
dead on the ground, while there was 500 in the opposing side, which attests to the peasant
resistance, but also shows that even under relatively favorable circumstances, the victory
remained to the "experts".
But we must point out that out of combat, peasant bands were often organized, taking
advantage of the little time that they were masters of the field. There are still quite a
number of sources on this subject in Alsace, but the bands from other regions should
proceed in much the same way. Bound by the oath they often lent the Twelve Articles, they
felt like confederates, the Swiss model is explicitly or implicitly present.
A collective leadership was the norm, although at progressively stood out leaders who were
often craftsmen, innkeepers, more than peasants. Petty officials, sometimes even
clergymen, served as scribes and many messages were exchanged with neighboring bands; The
same stewardship seems to have been quite effective, especially as the surrounding
villages and towns sometimes contribute to the provision of food, complemented by wine and
food seized in convents.
If the weather had been counted, it was moving in several regions to meetings that could
be called constituent, designed to regulate the passage to another company.
Hans Weiditz, Overthrow the Tyrant, grav. Wood, towards 1518-1519.
What a revolutionary project?
It is in this context that we must discuss what was probably the only synthesis of popular
demands trial for a comprehensive reform of the empire, plans due to two "intellectuals"
already old who joined the uprising, and Friedrich Wendel Hipler Weygandt.
The first one was chancellor of the counts of Hohenlohe and became secretary of the band
of Neckar-Odenwald, current North East of Baden-Württemberg, also agrees that the second,
former tax official.
A peasant Chancery is held in Heilbronn in May 1525, in order to convene a parliament that
is not limited to farmers, but that was to include representatives of the cities and the
gentry, in what would have been a class alliance .
In these sketches were resumed Twelve Articles, but it added the secularization of church
property, the abolition of grants and major trading companies (in fact, a commercial and
financial capitalism around large families of Augsburg, the Fugger and Welser, grows at
the time), a reform of weights and measures, etc., all of which must be implemented by a
corporate executive with members of the nobility, representatives of the free cities and
the people, and theologians, reformist measures certainly, but which would have been
revolutionary for the time, so that, as stated in the last sentence of sketches of
Weygand, "the poor man and the common good are in progress" .
Gabriel Salmon, The Battle of Saverne
Propaganda engraving illustrating a book in praise of the "crusade" of the Duke of
Lorraine against the peasants of Alsace; in reality, there was no battle, but killing
unarmed peasants who went in and out of the city, grav. Wood, 1525.
But these ideas were lost in the defeat ...
But further south, some of these designs will be taken up and amplified, without no doubt
had direct transmission, certainly the most interesting character of this war, brought to
light only fairly recently, Michael Gaismair .
Educated man, he was in May 1525, when the peasants in the neighborhood of Brixen (now.
Bressanone) rose, secretary of the prince-bishop. He certainly had, previously, social
justice ideas based on the interpretation of the Bible, for the peasants elected him as
leader.
Quickly revealing a political and military leader of value, he first negotiated with
Ferdinand of Habsburg, brother of Charles V, trying to lean on him to counter the power of
the nobility and clergy, but he soon realized that the Prince was playing a double game.
Arrested, he managed to escape and fled to Zurich, where he was supported by Zwingli who,
unlike Luther defended under certain conditions the right to insurrection against unjust
power, and even tyrannicide.
"Freedom" is written on the flag of this peasant fighter.
In 1975, on the occasion of the celebration of 450 years of the Peasants' War, the GDR
edited this stamp.
It was in the early months of 1526 that Michael wrote his Gaismair Landesordnung,
elaborate draft constitution of a peasant republic founded on justice and equality before
the law for everyone.
Church properties were to be secularized in favor of hospitals and other social
institutions and the walls of felled cities, to achieve equality between town and country.
Besides the introduction of a stable currency and unit weight and measures and very
specific ideas on improving agriculture and the vine, two projects especially noteworthy:
first Gaismair considered a kind of collectivisation crafts and trade, with workshops and
shops concentrated in different parts of the country, selling at cost; Then mines, forges
and foundries, already quite developed in Tyrol, had to be confiscated from large
companies and nobility ("they acquired their wealth by unjust profits and shedding human
blood") and returned to the community, author sketching lines in a sound analysis of the
added value mechanism.
With some troops, he managed to return to Tyrol in May 1526, but farmers, severely
repressed by Ferdinand of Hapsburg, did not join him and, despite notable successes, he
was defeated in July 1526 and had to take refuge on the territory of the Republic of
Venice, the Habsburg enemy.
After several attempts to take the fight, he retired in Padua, where, having survived
several plots, he was assassinated by Ferdinand's henchmen in 1532. The end point was thus
put on the first major attempt in modern times to establish a more just society.
As stated in one of the best specialists of the period, Peter Blickle: "Farmers do not
want war, but freedom, justice and power for their communities" .
Frank Muller
Frank Muller is Professor Emeritus of Modern History at the University of Strasbourg
REFERENCES:
? Claude Will put, the great spring beggars. Chronicle of 1525 , Paris, 1969 (a
fictionalized form and a lot of errors and approximations, but is still readable)
? Maurice Pianzola, Thomas Munzer or the Peasant War , Paris, 1997
? Günter Vogler (ed.), Illustrierte Geschichte der deutschen frühbürgerlichen Revolution ,
Berlin, 1974 (often waffling "Marxist", RDA sauce, but very full over the period and well
illustrated)
? Peter Blickle (ed.), Revolte und Revolution in Europa , Munich, 1975
? Peter Blickle, Die Revolution von 1525 , Munich, 2004 (there is an English translation)
? Peter Blickle, Der Bauernkrieg. Die Revolution of Gemeinen Mannes , Munich, 2012
? Georges Bischoff, The Peasants' War. Alsace and the revolution of Bundschuh, 1493-1525 ,
Strasbourg, 2010
? Walter Klaassen, Michael Gaismair: Revolutionary and Reformer , Leiden, 1978
? Ralf Höller: Eine Leiche Keller in Habsburgs - Der Rebell Michael Gaismair Kampf und
sein für eine Welt gerechtere , Salzburg-Vienna, 2011
[ 1 ] The lansquenets were German and Swiss mercenaries.
[ 2 ] The Hussites were followers of Jan Hus, religious and social reformer of Bohemia, in
the years 1420-1436.
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