Der Bauernkrieg

Schwerhoff has created a standard work with this significant volume. The Peasants' War of 1525 is considered the largest uprising in Europe before the French Revolution. It has been interpreted as a revolt for the unity of the Germans, an early bourgeois revolution, and a revolution of the common man. Gerd Schwerhoff has re-examined the sources and vividly describes what happened 500 years ago. Anyone who wants to engage in discussions about the Peasants' War in the future will not be able to overlook this captivating account.

Autumn 1524: Fueled by the message of the reformers, an uprising begins in southwestern Germany that nearly engulfs the entire south of the empire by spring 1525. Peasants and sympathetic townspeople demand rights and freedoms, destroy monasteries, and burn down castles. The ruling powers respond mercilessly, but some begin to realize that sheer repression is insufficient. Contemporary observers perceived the events as a "wild act." Gerd Schwerhoff masterfully does justice to the very different locations and paints a new, colorful overall picture. The events, which have been obscured by far-reaching interpretations, appear in a completely new light.