The German Peasants' War. The German Peasants' War of was the greatest popular uprising in European history before the French Revolution. Its significance is heightened by the contemporary struggle for religious renewal in the Reformation, which had a decisive influence on its course.
Yet very little writing in English has discussed the Peasants' War in detail. This volume traces the war through contemporary documents, both published and original, for the English-speaking reader in translation.
What did these words mean to them? I wanted to know how they got to the battlefields, and how they brought together people with different dialects and backgrounds to create a fighting force. I became fascinated by the various landscapes in which the war took place and the agricultural economy that was the backdrop to their grievances. The revolt began in autumn when the harvest was in and reached its peak in the early summer. The research involved cycling the routes the peasants took to understand the lie of the land.
Only after retracing their steps did I understand why the peasants targeted the high buildings, the monasteries and castles that made lordship visible. Before the rebel army could retaliate, Richard stepped forward and promised to abolish serfdom.
The peasants went home, but later government troops toured the villages hanging men who had taken part in the Revolt. Although the Revolt was defeated, its demands — less harsh laws, money for the poor, freedom and equality — all became part of democracy in the long term.
The Peasants' Revolt was a popular uprising. In its demands for rights and equality, it was similar to the Chartists of the 19th century and the Suffragettes of the 20th century - both of whom campaigned for greater political rights - except that, remarkably, the Peasants' Revolt happened six centuries earlier! A summary of the Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt started in Essex on 30 May , when a tax collector tried, for the third time in four years, to levy a poll tax.
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