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Article: Peasants' War, German
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
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PEASANTS' WAR, GERMAN
PEASANTS' WAR, GERMAN.
The German Peasants' War was among the most significant rebellions in modern European history. The political movements arising from the rebellion fit none of the stereotypes of Europe's peasant revolts. In 1524
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1525 peasant armies briefly shattered the rule of countless lords, small princes, and urban governments in the southern and central parts of the Holy Roman Empire, creating the potential for revolutionary changes had the rebels' political programs been fully realized. The name of the rebellion is a misnomer as it was neither a strictly German affair nor a war involving only the peasants. The rebellion sprawled across southern ...