Originally published on February 10, 2025 at 12:47 PM (Episode 395)
Introduction
In 1525, more than 100,000 peasants across German-speaking Europe rose up against lords and church authorities. Until the French Revolution there was no popular uprising that could match its size or its intensity. They demanded a complete reworking of the rules of society, demanding access to land and natural resources to which they were denied, and the redistribution of the thousands upon thousands of hectares of land owned by monastic foundations. An earlier historian suggested that it was better known as “The Revolution of the Common Man.”
Oxford historian Lyndal Roper joins us to discuss her latest book, Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants’ War (Basic Books, 2025). We explore the causes, horrors, and consequences of a revolt that left 1% of the population dead in just two months. And we discuss the ideas of these revolutionaries. Far from being naive, illiterate, and fundamentally incoherent, the peasant revolutionaries believed things, explained them, and attempted to act upon these beliefs. If you care about rebellion, religion, or the roots of modern Europe, this is essential listening.
About the Guest
Lyndal Roper is the Regius Professor of History at the University of Oxford—the first woman and the first Australian to hold the chair. Her work spans early modern German history, witchcraft, gender, the history of the body and sexuality, and the Reformation. She is the author of a celebrated biography of Martin Luther and now Summer of Fire and Blood.
For Further Investigation
Lyndal Roper, Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants’ War (Basic Books, 2025)
Peter Blickle, The Revolution of 1525: The German Peasants’ War from a New Perspective (Hopkins, 1981)
Tom Scott and Bob Scribner, eds., The German Peasants’ War: A History in Documents (Humanities Press, 1994)
Related Episodes
Ron Rittgers on “Protestant Reformation”
Merry Wiesner-Hanks on “Women and the Reformations”
Related, Bruce Gordon on “Bible History”
Justine Firnhaber-Baker on a earlier revolt by French peasants in “The First French Revolution”
Listen & Discuss
Was the Peasants’ War a doomed rebellion—or a precursor to modern revolution? Share your take in the comments, and pass this episode along to anyone who loves history filled with fire, faith, and fury.
