Der Bauernkrieg 1524/25

Even before the Great Peasants' War of 1524-26, there had been regional peasant uprisings. What was new was their connection to Reformation ideals and the use of the new possibilities offered by book and leaflet printing. The latter enabled the rapid spread of ideas and the formation of networks across regions. The Reformation's critique of monasticism, the freedom of the Christian individual - which Martin Luther had placed at the center of his preaching - the anticlerical thesis of the universal priesthood, and the critique of the withholding of the chalice - that is, the priest's exclusive right to partake of the redeeming blood of Christ - were perceived by the peasants as a powerful source of encouragement. Luther's cautious reaction to the Twelve Articles and his soon-following fierce criticism of the peasant uprisings associated with acts of violence counteracted this, but had little significant influence. For the military power of the princes soon brought a bloody end to the peasant uprisings.