German Peasants' War

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.6 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 March 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by historians Andy Drummond and Professor Lyndal Roper to explore the dramatic events of the German Peasants' War, exactly 500 years ago. Together they cover the thrilling narratives of rebellion, heroism, and tragedy as thousands of peasants rose up against their suppressors. Monasteries became targets of their anger and their overflowing stores were pillaged to feed the peasant army. Eleanor discusses the key historical figures, the socio-economic pressures that led to widespread revolt, and the brutal battles that ensued.

Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.
0:02.6	And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.
0:04.2	And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.
0:08.0	If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,
0:13.3	sign up to History Hit.
0:14.5	With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.
0:20.6	Such as my new series on everyone's favorite
0:22.8	conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new
0:29.9	release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.
0:45.9	Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast
0:55.4	that delves into the greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries,
1:01.6	the gobsmacking details, and the latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans,
1:07.7	from kings to popes, to the Crusades. We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were, and how we got here.
1:22.0	500 years ago, the largest rebellion Europe had ever seen, and would see until the French
1:30.0	revolution, began in the German lands.
1:34.6	There, peasants reacted to new impositions on their traditional way of life.
1:40.0	The nobility increasingly were reconsidering how they would run their local economies.
1:46.0	New industries like mining were taking off, and they now wanted to use their forests for making charcoal,
1:51.6	as opposed to allowing their peasants to use it for firewood.
1:55.2	Further, they also increasingly wanted their peasants to be their peasants,
2:00.6	and were consolidating land holdings
2:02.5	under themselves, shattering old ideas of the land being held together.
	...

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