The German Peasants' War was a large popular uprising in the Holy Roman Empire, mainly in the south and centre of what is now Germany, in which peasants and townspeople rebelled against their lords over taxes, serfdom and feudal obligations. The movement drew inspiration from the Reformation, and its demands were set out in the Twelve Articles of Memmingen. Radical preachers such as Thomas Muntzer gave it a religious dimension, but Martin Luther condemned the rebels and urged the princes to crush them. The armies of the Swabian League and the princes defeated the poorly armed peasant bands, notably at Frankenhausen, and tens of thousands were killed. The rebellion failed to improve conditions.
Before and after
- 13 December 1521Birth of Sixtus V
- from 26 June 1522 to 22 December 1522Siege of Rhodes
- from 27 August 1522 to 6 May 1523Knights' War
- 6 September 1522Magellan's expedition completes the first circumnavigation
- from 1524 to 1525German Peasants' War
- 24 December 1524Death of Vasco da Gama
- 1525Birth of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
- from 1525 to 1947Prussia
- 1525Birth of Pieter Brueghel the Elder
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The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 16th century.