Thomas Muntzer and the Peasant’s War

Müntzer and the Peasant's War 

Vs.

  Martin Luther

Thomas Müntzer, 1488-1525, who at one time was a Catholic priest and then a follower of Martin Luther, became in his own right a German Reformation leader. Müntzer, although a follower of Luther, would become one of his greatest adversaries due to his role as one of the leaders of the Peasants’ War, 1524.  The question is what then did Müntzer do to challenge Luther’s ideologies?  It was a culmination of things.  First, the printing press made scripture more readily available, therefore people read and began to question their existence.  Secondly, Luther’s ideologies, which promoted equality of men, led to a questioning of livelihood, and lastly, and most important, Thomas Müntzer combined these two elements to unite the peasants and encourage a revolt. 

During the reformation in Germany Thomas Müntzer began to lead the peasants to revolt against the lords and nobles of the land. Müntzer felt that the lords of the land had no right to enslave the peasants.  The peasants, with the aid of Müntzer, would use scripture to back up their claims that the overlords of the land could no longer enslave them.  At first, Luther sided with the peasants and believed that their demands should be treated seriously, saying that what the peasants demanded was justified.  It wasn’t until the revolt became violent when the overlords denied and ignored the serfs’ pleas.  Also, what really set Luther apart from Müntzer was the fact Müntzer felt that it was his, as well as the peasants’, duty to punish the faithless or ‘godless’ and continue the revolt until he achieved his goals, regardless of the bloodshed and violence.

Luther became weary of Müntzer, claiming that the peasants and Müntzer only used scripture towards their own worldly desires instead of God’s will.  Luther also became sickened by the violence that the peasants were inflicting and spreading throughout the lands.  What also further angered Luther was the Twelve Articles of the Peasants, which used spirituality and scripture to justify the peasant wars.  As a result of the continued violence Luther ordered that by any means, even violence, the revolt be put down. Müntzer always sided with the revolt and fueled the flames by telling the peasants it was their God given right to be treated fairly, and must attain that by using any means. 

Eventually, without powerful alliances and support the peasant revolt was put down.  Over one hundred thousand peasants were killed, their homes and lands were taken away, and the overlord further increased their taxes.  What is interesting about this whole thing is that Müntzer and Luther, although members of the same church, have completely different ideals of how scripture was to be used and interpreted.  Luther despised the violence of the peasants, and Müntzer promoted it.  In the end, lives were lost and the revolt left the church tarnished.