Abstract
The Revolution of 1525 is another name for the German Peasants' War,
the largest insurrection in European history before the French
Revolution. It began in the Black Forest in late summer and fall of
1524, reached its peak around Easter of 1525, and produced its last
risings (notably in Tyrol) in 1526. The revolution's ultimate causes
reach far back to the later Middle Ages to the great agrarian depression
that weakened the lords' and strengthened the peasants' power over local
life. The widespread movement for village self-government (communalism)
was a hallmark of rural life in the Holy Roman Empire, especially in its
central and southern regions. Where the movement for local
self-government had already largely fulfilled its aims, as in
Switzerland, the peasants did not revolt in 1524-26. Some other southern
areas remained quiet as well, notably the very strongly ruled duchy of
Bavaria. The Lower Rhineland (i.e. the area along the Rhine north of
Cologne) and the north German lands also remained undisturbed.
Otherwise, the movement engulfed the Empire's southern and central
tiers, spilling over language barriers into French-speaking Lorraine and
Italian-speaking South Tyrol. In general, the zones of stronger local
government and weaker noble power (shown in darker orange) formed the
chief centers of the revolution, but many adjoining territories (shown
in lighter orange) also became involved as well. In some regions,
especially in Saxony and Tyrol, miners revolted and joined the movement,
and so did burghers in many of the small towns. The rebels typically
agitated for the redress of grievances and for political reform, largely
in the direction of stronger territorial government. In the course of
the war, inexperienced rebel troops faced off against princely armies
strengthened by professionals and supported by strong cavalry and
artillery; the rebel armies lost all but one of the pitched battles in
which they engaged. The outcome of the revolution varied greatly from
region to region: in some areas, the rebels suffered severe repression
and their grievances went unredressed; in other areas, their grievances
were redressed and their burdens were ameliorated. Psychologically, the
revolution was a major event in the early Protestant Reformation: it
strengthened the convictions of some that religious abuses formed the
main reasons for rebellion; it bolstered the arguments of others that
the new doctrines had caused the revolution.