Peasant wars in Alsfeld: unrest and Luther's legacy
Peasant wars in Alsfeld: unrest and Luther's legacy
in the heart of Alsfeld, very close to the town hall, a picture of a country servant, which was created by the Büchner award winner Richard Hölscher, attracts attention. This work of art is reminiscent of a time when fought violently in Germany - and not just for land and power, but about the interpretation of faith. Today, on June 20, 2025, historians like Michael Rudolf look back on the turbulent events of the Reformation and the Peasant War, which shaped the region and, above all, Hesse. For example, Oberhessen-Live in the 16th century that the farmers often refer to Martin Luther's writings, but many of them misunder led.
already before Luther's work, which began with the publication of his 95 theses in 1517, there were farming outrage in various German regions. Between 1518 and 1523, an Evangelical community was founded in Alsfeld under the leadership of Tilemann Schnabel. However, this joy of innovation did not last long, because in 1523 Schnabel had to leave the city. In 1526 the sovereign officially implemented the Reformation in Hesse, a step that fundamentally changed social conditions, such as the determined.
farmers' riots as part of the story
The years 1525 and 1526 are characterized by violent clashes that were covered by the surrounding area and the city. The uprisings spread and required military intervention; On May 3, 1525, Landgrave Philipp conquered the city of Fulda after he was previously in Alsfeld. On April 13, 1525, the insurgents in Frankfurt released their first turmoil. This brought the situation across the entire region to cook, as reports on unrest in Treysa show.
The reactions were mixed. Martin Luther warned the farmers of the "sin of the uprising" and distanced himself from the riots, while Thomas Müntzer, a determined leader of the insurgents, was executed after the defeat on May 27, 1525. The delicious words of the reformer, which separated the left and right hand of faith, became the unique selling point of his teaching and were expressed in the twelve articles of the farmers - a core of their demands.
faithful and future perspectives
In the middle of these unrest, the city of Alsfeld made the loyalty rig in June 1525. A document dated December 2, 1525 confirmed this oath and the desire to avoid future unrest. The causes of the farmers are different, but roots in a long tradition of resistance to the sovereigns and the social pressure that farmers were exposed to.
Regardless of the setbacks, the religious currents developed. Ultimately, the Augsburg religious peace from 1555 was supposed to transfer the decision -making competence on the faith of the subjects to the sovereigns. These historical developments still shape life in small places such as Adelmannsdorf, where the denomination of one is a break to another. A fate that results from the history of the Reformation, which still teaches us today, how important faith in society is - even on a small scale.
All of these events are not only part of the past, but also part of a continuous dialogue about faith and power, as the artistic processing of the Reformation shows in current exhibitions and events. These address the Bavarian history of the Reformation and are supported by various museums, libraries and archives, as the platform Bavarikon
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| Ort | Alsfeld, Deutschland |
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