In The Time of the Harvest, Martin Empson looks at the strife in 16th century Europe as the feudal economy gave way to capitalism, and the authority of princes and the church was openly challenged.
Drawing on documents from the period and other studies of the German Peasants War, he shows why this period is so relevant today, and it should be no surprise that the demands made by common people 500 years ago are still being pressed today.
Setting the stage for reformation
In this period the Holy Roman Empire was a collection of semi-autonomous regions ruled by aristocrats of various ranks under the authority of the Church and Emperor. Capitalism was taking shape as the productive capacity of the peasantry shifted from growing food to eat to growing crops that enriched their lord the most. The Frugger family started a bank which became the largest financial institution in Europe (p.14). As common land was enclosed, people were forced into towns to find work, where they were subjected to high rents and taxes. This left them no longer able to sustain themselves from what they could grow or gather.
When Martin Luther, a provincial academic, nailed his theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, he challenged the authority of Church. As the bible was translated into German and other languages, demand for a fairer Christian society spread. Different demands would erupt from town and country only to be rejected by those in power, leading to a series of revolts. The author takes us through these events and the people behind them, sharing a period of history that few think of as relevant today.
Launch of the Reformation
Many things upset Martin Luther about the Church, such as taking money from the poor to fund the rebuilding of St Peter’s in Rome (p.29), and (in wider society) objecting to the Frugger family making money from money. Prince Frederick III, as one of the Prince electors, could offer protection from the papal bulls but Luther was still forced into hiding.
By challenging the authority of the Pope, Luther emboldened colleagues and others to challenge religious and civil authority with their own demands. This upheaval that Luther started is known as the Reformation.
Some of those alongside Luther were much more radical; Andreas Karlstadt (p.90) caused riots when he celebrated Christmas Mass in German, and gave wine to the laity during communion. The following year he went further by getting married when priests were not allowed to be, and ordered the removal of images from churches. But when he sought to diminish the power of the Prince, that was a step too far for Luther who came out of hiding to support the Prince, writing that it was a “shocking sacrilege to go against authority”.
Negotiations devolve
Rebel groups met and set out what became one of the definitive lists of demands known as The Twelve Articles (p.48). These demands included: choosing their own pastor, abolition of serfdom and bondage, free access to game and natural resources, fair rent, restoration of common land, and abolition of death tax. The rebels thought that by showing that their demands were based on the words of Christ and the prophets that they would have a strong case to take to their lords.
However, the lords were adept at setting up negotiations that went nowhere while they organised their troops. Provoked by the killing of rebels at Weinsberg, the people took and burnt down the castle, killing the nobility in a rare outrage (p.53). Some blamed Luther for the violence, spurring the Lords to reject demands and prepare to fight.
“Luther turned it against the peasants, extracting from the Bible such a veritable hymn to the God-ordained authorities as no boot licker of absolute monarchy has ever been able to match. Princedom by the grace of God, resigned obedience, even serfdom, were sanctioned with the aid of the Bible.” (p. 172)
Later, as the rebellion escalated, Luther would urge the rulers to show no mercy:
“rebellion is a crime which deserves neither a court trial nor mercy … the rebel has been tried, judged, condemned and sentenced to death and everyone is authorised to execute him” (p.176)
The peasant army
A friend of Luther, Thomas Muntzer, was heading in a different direction. He had been closely involved with debates about the ideology of the reformation, and studied the early Christian church (p.92). Moving to Prague, he produced a powerful criticism of church and clergy, then moved to Allstead where he proclaimed that “with a German liturgy and bible people would be singing every week about the overthrow of the oppressors”(p.94). This forced one prince to put up road blocks in order to prevent his people from going to hear Muntzer speak.
Seeing the revolt unfold, Muntzer saw the need for an organised force. In the pamphlet To The Assembly Of The Common Peasantry which called for “a restructuring of society along benevolent and equitable lines”, he set out the democratic organisation for the military, involving frequent assemblies to make decisions (p.56-60).
The army went to support the revolt in Thuringia. They had some success, but the lack of cavalry was a significant disadvantage. The revolt ended at the battle of Frankenhousen. It was a one-sided slaughter of thousands. Then when the peasants scattered and fled back to town, 5,000 of them were killed there. In the end, 7,000 peasants out of the 8,000-strong army were killed, and 50% of the town’s population. Only a few hundred people and Muntzer were taken prisoner.
A confession was extracted from Muntzer under torture which includes the phrase “all things to be held in common”. Based on this, some would later claim that he was a proto-communist, but Empson explains that “this did not fit with his thinking and was probably a slogan attributed to him to discredit him”.
Muntzer was executed on 27 May 1525 and was an inspiration for many progressive thinkers (p.123-128).
The Austrian peasant army
In Austria another peasant army was formed by Michael Gaismair (p.142). The Tyrolean peasants had produced The Merano Articles to petition Archduke Ferdinand, the introduction included:
“many evil abuses have arisen in the secular and spiritual Estates … love of Christ and good neighbourliness are forgotten and all matters turn on self interest and not the common good …” p.147
The Archduke rejected their demands so Gaismair set out a more radical document, a Bauern-Landesordnung (peasant’s collection of laws), which called for a number of things, including honouring God, improving the common good, stopping the long delays in court, providing a welfare system, confiscating the mines and buildings of the rich, and banning interest charges.
The Archduke succeeded in controlling the narrative by dividing the more well-off peasants (who were rewarded) from the poorer ones, and had Gaismair arrested – though he escaped just seven weeks later. Gaismair would end up leading a mercenary army hoping to one day take Tyrol, but a price had been put on his head and he was assassinated in 1532.
The defeat of the peasants was bloody and merciless.
Current day
Five hundred years later, mankind is still struggling to create a more equitable and caring society, and the ability of the wealthy few to hinder progress endures. Popes, emperors and princes have been replaced by oligarchs equipped with the wealth and technology to control the narrative.
Then as now they will do whatever it takes to keep hold of their wealth and privilege. We can only hope that as mankind closes the chapter on capitalism that we can do so without the bloodshed depicted here.
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