1524–1525

The German Peasants' War

Inspired by the idea of Christian freedom, German peasants set out demands in the "Twelve Articles", appealing to Scripture. Some rebels rallied to the theocratic preaching of Thomas Müntzer.

Luther first acknowledged the justice of some demands. But once violence spread widely, he urged the princes to crush the revolt by force. He did so in his tracts "Admonition to Peace" and "Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants" (May 1525).

The revolt was crushed: over 100,000 peasants died, and Müntzer was executed. Many saw Luther as a traitor to the cause of freedom. He himself came away distrusting ordinary believers' ability to interpret Scripture on their own.