Comparing The Protestant Reformation And The Peasant's War

During the early 1520s, a series of events changed the very foundation of Europe, effectively splitting one of the most powerful institutions of that time. The Protestant Reformation and the Peasant’s War that followed greatly shaped Western Civilization and Christianity While it started as just another theologian debate premise, it soon grew and was adopted by the common man who sought to better not only the church but society as a whole. In 1525, the line between Christianity, rebellion and violence began to blur in southern Germany as the ideals and rhetoric of the reformation unexpectedly incited a rebellion known as the Peasants War.

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a knowledgeable theologian and scholar, posted a list of grievances

with the Catholic Church that became known as the 95 Thesis. Many of the grievances addressed the issue of indulgences, a type of absolution from purgatory given to some after donating to the church. Luther’s 95 Thesis, perhaps unintentionally, became a huge hit and was reprinted and spread across Europe. Many used this initial spark of defiance to light a new fire, one of revolution. Social unrest had been growing in the years leading up to Luther which fanned the flames of the rebellion. It was a blend of low wages, high prices, poor living conditions, and general mistreatment by the lords that led peasants to create The Twelve Articles a document that demanded reform through a series of statements and complaints. Copies of the Twelve Articles began to circulate throughout Europe, which only escalated already high tension and soon led to a rebellion. The Catholic Church claimed that, “Luther’s heretical rejection of religious authority inspired others to reject secular authority as well and opened the floodgates of general insurrection.” (Baylor 3). While this claim seems possible, true even, it isn’t as black and white as it may seem.
It could be argued that the Rebellion was only a misguided effort in supporting the Reformation.

Civil unrest was growing in the years leading to the Reformation and peasants used this opportunity of a popular movement to address some very real and important concerns. Martin Luther had posted the 95 Thesis at a time where Germany’s population was increasing resulting in an all-around higher cost of living. “Real wages deteriorated, as price inflation outpaced wage increases, and the purchasing power of money fell.” (Baylor 4) Lords were also looking to reinstate serf-like requirements by raising renting fees to reacquire land and stockpile natural resources. As is the case with politics of this time, religion was heavily involved; the lords began to affiliate with the Church. In local churches, they would often take a portion of the tithes and would appoint clerics they favored as pastors. This may have caused peasants to associate the Church and their lords closely with one another, further interweaving the two. This association can be seen in the Twelve Articles, whereas two of the twelve had to do with religious reformation, the other ten articles dealt with property rights and wages. However, the Twelve Articles used the Bible as the basis for their claims and even stated, “...that if one or more of the articles we have composed here is not in accordance with the word of God, we will retract these articles, if they can be shown to be improper with the Word of God.”

(Baylor 82). Although seemingly well-intentioned and based in the Bible, Martin Luther condemned the revolution.
Martin Luther vigorously insisted that his reformation of the church was unassociated with the growing rebellion in southern Germany, even going as far to say that those who used his reformation as a basis for rebellion were “agents of the devil” attempting to ruin the name of the gospel. Martin Luther issued a several statements denouncing the rebellion and urging peasants to obey secular authority as stated in the gospel (Romans 13:1-7). One such statement was a letter to his followers, A Sincere Admonition to Guard against Rebellion, where he said, “Therefore, there is no need for you to demand an armed insurrection. Christ himself has already begun an insurrection with his mouth, one which will be more than the pope can bear. Let us follow that one, and carry on.” (Baylor 59). While Martin Luther did not condone violence and an armed insurrection, Thomas Müntzer, an influential reformer and former follower of his, did.
Thomas Müntzer was an early follower of Martin Luther that attended many of his lectures.

However, when the rebellion began, and Luther released his statement condemning the insurrection, Müntzer opposed Luther's view, believing he was a sympathizer for the feudal lords. Müntzer, in fact, was "the first to legitimize ... armed rebellion against impious rulers." (Baylor 13). His core beliefs dealt heavily with iconoclasm as well as social issues such as living wages. Müntzer even created a group of his followers called the Union or League of the Elect (Bund der Auserwählten) which, at one point, burned down a local convents shrine to the Virgin Mary. He became so outspoken that Catholic lords of the region prohibited any of their subjects from attending his services, even threatening to raid their homes and/or villages if they did. Müntzer significantly contributed to escalating tensions during the reformation and further blurred the line as to the purpose of the Peasant's

War.
The Reformation in Southern Germany that began with the 95 Thesis was only supposed to be a critique of the Catholic Church, but ended in the slaughter of peasants. Over the course of a few decade property rights and a higher cost of living caused Civil unrest among the poor. When Luther openly defied the Catholic Church, the single most important authority of that time, his defiance unintentionally inspired thousands to revolt. While some of Luther's followers heeded his words to not resort to violence, others sought to use this as an opportunity to change society. In the end, it isn't clear who the guilty party was; The Peasants War of 1525 was a perfect storm created by what that accumulated over several decades.