The Kraichgau Peasants: Germany's 1525 Uprising

In 1525, while Martin Luther's Reformation reshaped German religious life, a far more violent upheaval erupted in the countryside. The Peasants' War of 1524–1525 was the largest popular uprising in German history before the modern era, drawing on decades of rural grievance against noble landlords and church tithes. This episode zooms in on the Kraichgau region in present-day Baden-Württemberg, where thousands of peasants organized into rebel bands, drafted the famous 'Twelve Articles' demanding the abolition of serfdom and the right to choose their own pastors, and faced brutal suppression. We follow the rise and fall of leaders like Thomas Müntzer, a radical theologian who saw the uprising as a divine mandate, and the peasant captain Wendel Hippler. We explore how Luther turned against the rebels with his pamphlet 'Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of the Peasants,' and how the Swabian League's mercenary army crushed the revolt at the Battle of Frankenhausen. The episode examines the war's aftermath: an estimated 100,000 dead, the reinforcement of serfdom for centuries, and the enduring legacy of peasant resistance in German memory. #PeasantsWar #Kraichgau #ThomasMüntzer #TwelveArticles #MartinLuther #SwabianLeague #Frankenhausen #Reformation #GermanHistory #Serfdom #WendelHippler #1525 #BadenWürttemberg #PopularUprising #EarlyModern #History #FexingoHistory #Germany Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo