DBQ Essay: Major Causes Of The Peasant Revolts

Throughout the German states, many peasants revolted in 1524 in an area known as the Holy Roman Empire. During that time the Church and corrupt rulers were treating peasants in a manner that was unjust; therefore, peasants rallied up against officials in away that was considered unchristian. Peasants were responding to unjust treatment from rulers and religious Many of the revolts mainly occurred in southern Germany. corruptness. For two years peasants and authorities fought against each other in a time of political unrest. By the end of the peasant’s revolts more than 100,000 peasants were killed by authorities. Some causes of the peasant’s revolts in Germany include over taxation, religious corruption, and political unrest. Peasants responded …show more content…
When Martin Luther exposed the corruptions of the Church, many peasants responded violently. Martin Luther responded to these peasants by saying,” The peasants forgot their place, violently took matters into their own hands, and robbing and ragging like mad dogs” (Doc 5). Here Luther is responding to the violent peasants by saying that they misunderstood what he was saying in his thesis, what he was actually trying to get across was that he was pointing out issues that needed to be fixed. Many peasants turned to Lutheranism because they realized the corruptions of the Church. In 1525, some towns that had been reformed demanded the right to choose a pastor. Overall, rulers rejected their requests. Leonhard von Eck said in his report to Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, “ This rebellion has been undertaken to repress the princes and the nobility and has its ultimate source in Lutheran teaching, for the peasants relate the majority of their demands to the Word of God, the Gospel, and brotherly love. The peasants are blinded, lead astray, and made witless” (Doc 1). Since peasants responded violently to religious corruption, it brought many issues of religion of the German states and what the religion of each state