bavarikon4UDescription
Under the influence of the violence perpetrated by the rebellious population in April 1525 in Thuringia and Württemberg, Martin Luther's attitude to the Peasants' War changed dramatically. He now advocated a radical suppression of the uprisings. His opponent on the side of the Thuringian insurgents was the theologian and radical reformer Thomas Müntzer (1489-1525). Luther saw Müntzer as the author of the violence and called him devil's spawn. At the beginning of May 1525, Luther wrote the pamphlet "Wider die mörderischen und räuberischen Rotten der Bauern" (Against the Murderous and Predatory Gangs of the Peasants) with which he directly addressed the princes. He literally calls on the sovereigns to kill the insurgents - this would be a religiously meritorious act. In addition to his anti-Jewish writings, this work marks a low point in Luther's biography and journalism. Luther relied entirely on the authorities as guarantors and most important pillars of the secular order. As a result, he lost a great deal of support within the rural and, in some cases, the urban population. In May 1525, the princes finally managed to defeat the Thuringian insurgents in the decisive battle of Frankenhausen. Thomas Müntzer was captured and afterwards executed. Datum: 2016
Author
Matthias Bader