AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Tides of History
Interview: Professor Lyndal Roper on the German Peasants' War
Feb 20, 2025
Professor Lyndal Roper, a prominent historian from Oxford, delves into the largely overlooked German Peasants' War, a monumental revolt before the French Revolution. She discusses the intertwining of social inequality, economic strife, and early Reformation ideologies that fueled the uprising. Roper highlights the contrasting perspectives of peasants and lords, the intricate role of women, and Martin Luther's evolving stance on the conflict. Her insights revolutionize our understanding of this pivotal historical event and its lasting legacies.
53:59
Episode guests
AI Summary
AI Chapters
Episode notes
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The German Peasants' War emerged from deep-rooted economic grievances and marked the largest uprising before the French Revolution.
- Differing perceptions between peasants and lords regarding land usage intensified tensions, leading to violent conflicts like the Peasants' War.
Deep dives
The Central Role of Peasants in Society
The episode highlights the often overlooked importance of peasants in medieval and early modern Europe, emphasizing that the vast majority of people during this period were not part of the elite class. Peasants were responsible for agricultural labor and surplus production, which funded the lifestyles of lords, knights, and religious leaders. Their lives were marked by hardship and exploitation, existing at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Despite this, peasants occasionally expressed their frustrations through uprisings, one of the most notable being the German Peasants' War from 1524 to 1526.
Get the Snipd
podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any
moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share
& Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered
podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover
highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode