Revolution+of+the+Common+Man

Revolution of the Common Man by Jason Cole

Tentative Topic The influence of the Revolution of the Common Man on the Reformation Sources: Stayer, J. "The Anabaptist Revolt and Political and Religious Power." //Power, Authority, and the Anabaptist Tradition//. John Hopkins UP, 2001. Print. Roth, John D. "Companion to Anabaptism and Spiritualism, 1521-1700." //A Companion to Anabaptism and Spiritualism//. Vol. 6. Brill Academic, 2006. Print. Stayer, J. "The Peasants' War Seen Through the Prism of Current Histography." //German Peasants' War and Anabaptist Community of Goods//. McGill Queen UP, 1991. Print. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Home." //NEW ADVENT: Home//. Web. 10 Oct. 2010. []. Lindberg, Carter. //The European Reformations//. Malden: Blackwell, 1996. Print. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Bax, Ernest. //The Peasants' War in Germany 1525-1526//. London: Swan Sonnenschien, 1899. 126-30. Print. <span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Draft Argument: <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Social dissatisfaction and desire for a better life began long before the Reformation. The Peasants War, also known as the Revolution of the Common Man, was a group of events involving peasants and noblemen. It can be argued that the Reformation would not have had the same outcome if the Revolution of the Common Man had not occurred. Each person and event involved with the Revolution had a significant impact on the Reformation. <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Revised Argument <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">The Peasants’ War would politically and socially effect not only the Reformation but the territories surrounding what is modern day Europe. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Peasants’ War was a popular rebellion that took place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. At the height of the war, it is estimated that over 300,000 peasants were involved. The Peasants’ War, also known referred to as the Revolution of the Common Man occurred from 1524-1525. The Peasants’ War would politically and socially effect not only the Reformation but the territories surrounding what is now modern day Europe. The peasants, or commoners, had very little to no political power. The Peasants articulated a list of complaints known as the Twelve Articles. The articles called for relief from oppression administered by landlords and rulers. The Peasants’ War was compiled of a series of revolts, violent and nonviolent, in which the peasants withdrew their obedience’s, refused to serve, and sought arbitration in order to have their demands satisfied (Stayer pg 21). <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Peasants were not the only ones involved in the war. Of the cities engaged in the Peasants’ War, the smaller cities were politically connected to the peasants where the larger cities engaged due to their discontent with nobility and the social class system. What they all had in common was a desire to reform the empire. Once the peasants’ demands went unanswered, mobs began to form and the rebellion strengthened. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The peasants were becoming more victorious over the upper class. Fueled by their desire to overthrow the regional princes, more cities would join the rebellion. The peasants wished to redesign the constitution, a goal they held for many years. The political motivation was to give more power to the commoners and less to the princes (www.newadvent.org). Serfdom was practiced in order to bind free peasants to nobility in order to maintain political power over certain areas. Serfdom was the main focus of the peasants’ Twelve Articles. The Twelve articles sought an end to the class system and would give power to the natural leaders, not the territorial princes (Stayer 26). <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The relationship between Martin Luther and the Peasants’ War must be discussed since Luther was one of the main figures of the Reformation. Luther was sent the Twelve Articles with the hopes of gaining his support. Luther responded to the articles by addressing all parties involved. He asked the rulers to adhere to the demands of the peasants in order to prevent further revolt. Luther felt Germany would be destroyed if a settlement could not be reached. The fact that a prominent figure such as Luther, would issue such a warning shows the threat the peasants’ posed in Germany. Luther goes on to warn peasants that there are figures among them who by urging them to fight are negatively impacting the cause. He expressed his disapproval for revolt as he thought it would only bring more harm than good. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The murder of Count von Helfenstein and the nobles of Weisnberg drew Luther’s immediate disapproval and would cause Luther to side against the peasants. Count von Helfenstein occupied Weisnberg and freely executed peasants that attempted to enter the city. In an act of retaliation, mobs of peasants seized the town of Weisnberg, captured then murdered Count von Helfenstein as well as many town nobles. With Helfenstein no longer an obstacle, the town of Weisnberg was now occupied by the peasants thus expanding their territory (Bax 126-130). This event must be regarded as an important event within the Peasants’ War because the result was the spread of the Peasants’ occupation. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Luther’s call for peaceful negotiations was ignored by the peasants, therefore causing Luther to change his position on the matter. Luther then began to advocate his support for using force to suppress the rebellions. The radical mobs were spreading destruction and violence at such a rate Luther feared the groups would eventually overthrow the state as well as the church. (Lindberg 164-165). Regional princes merged in order to end the rebellion by reforming the Swabian League. Swabian League was first established in the 14th century. The League disbanded and reformed several times finally reforming as in order to defeat the peasants (Stayer 31). The Swabian League was victorious in suppressing the peasant rebellions in several imperial cities. <span style="background: white; display: block; line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Luther noticed one particular leader as a threat, Thomas Muntzer. Muntzer was a theologian who fought to end oppression. <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Muntzer saw the revolt as foreshadowing of the separation of the elect and the godless. Muntzer and his troops joined the Revolt and became heavily involved (Roth 21-24). The opposing forces were Swabian League members, the Hessians and Saxon troops. These members demanded that Muntzer surrender and when he refused over 6000 peasants were killed. During the massacre, Muntzer was captured and executed (Lindberg 143,155,156). Muntzer’s involvement in the Peasants’ War led to the deaths of thousands of peasants. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to certain publications, the formation of Zurich Anabaptism can be attributed to the rise of the Peasant’s War. The rise of Anabaptism in Zurich occurred around the same time as the beginning of the Peasants’ War. Conrad Grebel, who is credited with the start of the Zurich Anabaptist, centered his ideas on the Twelve Articles (Stayer pg 52). It has been argued that the formation of the Zurich Anabaptist had nothing to do with the peasants. However, the fact that the peasants’ Twelve Articles is the basis for the Zurich Anabaptist movement makes the correlation between the two indisputable. Since the Anabaptists movement was an outcome of the Peasant’s War, it can be stated that the impact of the Anabaptists were also an impact from the Peasants’ War. The Anabaptist movement was easily spread through northern Switzerland since the authority collapsed as result of the Peasants’ War. Grebel and his group were responsible for a schism in the Zurich Reformation by defying the Zurich Government which also held power over the churches (Stayer 53). <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Anabaptists were viewed as a political entity because they refused to recognize and adhere to the obligations of citizenship such as tithing, taxing, taking oaths, and participating in the military (Lindberg 202-203). This defiance of authority disrupted the political and social structure because paying taxes, military service, and oaths were all important components of society. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of Muntzer’s most influential followers was Hans Hut. Hans Hut joined the Peasants’ War at the Battle of Frankenhausen, which was the final battle of the Peasants’ War. Hut managed to escape the same fate as Muntzer. Hut shared the beliefs of the Anabaptists regarding baptism in the New Testament. Hut would come to be one of the most successful Anabaptist missionaries. He organized the spread of Anabaptism through Austria and Moravia. Hut encouraged his people to put away their arms based on the idea Christ would return and punish the wicked accordingly. The idea not to bear arms went against the beliefs of other Anabaptist in the area. This difference in ideas let to the first internal disagreement between Anabaptists leaders and the division of the Nikolsburg congregation. It can be argued that since Hut’s beliefs were shaped during his time with Muntzer during the Peasants’ War and that the Peasants’ War is partially responsible for Hut’s actions after the war. Should the war not have occurred, Hut would not have become involved with Muntzer therefore he would have not become an Anabaptist missionary (Stayer 55-57) (Roth 23-24). <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The political scope of the Peasants' War was more inclusive than local governments and its social implications were felt by more than just the peasants. Certain groups such as the Black Forest Band of Hans Miller and the Baltringen band had to regard to borders and assembled their groups as they saw fit. The groups swore an oath that established a confederation. The Swiss Confederacy was an example of such confederations inferring the Swiss Confederacy was a result of the Peasant’s War (Stayer 30-31). The Swiss Confederacy <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">was an alliance among communities who successfully gained independence from the Roman Empire. The Confederacy formed a town council that held the right to appoint church clergy. The council appointed Zwingli as a minister of the Great Minster. This appointment strongly influenced the reform in Zurich. The Reformation in Switzerland led to a divide among the communities, some Catholic, some Protestant resulting in civil war. The Peasants’ War led to the contribution of the Swiss Confederacy which would affect the Swiss Reformation. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Peasants’ War came to an end in 1525 but the impact of the war would be felt for years to come. The Peasants were ultimately defeated with the slaughter of over 100,000 peasants. This would lead one to state the Peasants’ War was a failure. Even though the peasants were defeated, the Peasants’ War resulted in peasants receiving representation in Tyrol, Salzberg, and Baden. The rulers of these territories felt it was in their best interest to grant representation in order to prevent future resistance and revolts (Stayer 42). In other areas now recognized as modern Germany, the peasants were able to recuperate and in some areas were granted the rights they originally demanded. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The lack of success of the Peasants’ War strengthened and substantiated the association between state and religion. This was crucial to the survival and expansion of the Protestant Reformation. The unity of the Protestants was essential in order for them to defend themselves against the Catholics in the Thirty Years War some years later. This bond between church and state that developed after the Peasant’s War continues to be present in Europe today. Europeans have the right to practice their religious of choice without intrusion from the government.

Article Source One: Power, Authority, and the Anabaptist Tradition: Chapter 3 Focus: Anabaptism was a product of the German Reformation in its earliest, most spontaneous and popular phase.
 * || German Reformation  ||  Anabaptist  ||
 * The definition ||  The German Reformation was an uprising against the church and its priestly, sacramental leader, the pope.  ||  Anabaptism was an occurrence during the period of the collapse of the old church and the rise of the new church.  ||
 * Rebellion against authority ||  Christian believers were priest, the authority for Christians was the Bible, and faith was the means to get to heaven, not practices stipulated by the church. People began to defy  ||  Anabaptists did not believing in taking oaths, paying taxes, nor serving in the military. All of which go against their civic duties.  ||
 * Cause and effect ||  Differencing views by reformation leaders: the issue of infant baptism. Manz and Grebel were against the concept and were unwilling to compromise their beliefs and submit to Zwingli.   ||  Because Grebel did not agree with infant baptism, Grebel began to rebaptize adults thus establishing the first Anabaptist church.  ||

Implications: This chapter presents the idea that Anabaptism was a product of the German Reformation. That fact is easily proven correct when analyzing how Anabaptism was formed. Anabaptism began when Reformation leaders could not come to a consensus regarding the issue of infant baptism. The Reformation was a break from the normal beliefs in order to form and practice new beliefs. Anabaptism was the same occurrence as leaders broke from the Reformation beliefs to practice their own.

Article Analysis Source Two: Companion to Anabaptism and Spiritualism: Chapter 1 Focus: There were several influential characters that contributed to the renewal of Christendom: Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, Thomas Müntzer, peasants, and Anabaptists. All of the characters listed above were regarded as outsiders.
 * || Contribution  ||  Effect  ||
 * Karlstadt ||  Karlstadt performed the first “reformed” communion service by wearing secular clothing, removed all traditional mass references regarding sacrifice, performed the service in German versus Latin, and discarded confession as a requirement for communion. Karlstadt also opposed the use of religious imagery.  ||  In early 1522 the Wittenberg city council agreed to the removal of the imagery from the cities churches and accepted the changes to communion put forth by Karlstadt. He also influenced the elimination of mandatory celibacy.  ||
 * Muntzer ||  Muntzer fought to end social and political oppression as well as stop the decay of Christendom. Muntzer demanded the punishment of the godless and the protection of the elect.  ||  Muntzer’s preaching’s lead to peasant disorder which acted as a catalyst for the Peasants’ War. The Peasants’ War resulted in representation given to the commoners in Tyrol, Salzberg, and Baden.  ||
 * Peasantry ||  The peasants had little to no political rights. They demanded better treatment. They associated their cause with the gospel. The Peasants’ wanted the right to live according to God’s word.  ||  The list of demanded created by the Peasants was the Twelve Articles that presented an evangelical influence on the renewal of Christendom. Their demands went unanswered resulting in the Peasants’ War.  ||
 * Anabaptists ||  The Anabaptist rejected the conventional practices such as taking oaths, infant baptism, and participation in the military. They believed in a separation of church and state.  ||  The Anabaptists were one of the first groups to practice beliefs outside of the norm and advocate for the separation of church and state.  ||

Implication: It is not a feasible argument to label Karlstadt, Munzter, the peasants and the Anabaptists as outsiders since the Reformation was not recognized until after these figures and group became prominent. It was something that would happen in the future. All of the above participants were involved with the Christian renewal.