Kenneth G. Appold, "Luther and the Peasants: Religion, Ritual, and the Revolt Of 1525" (Oxford UP, 2025)

Oct 27, 2025

Kenneth G. Appold, James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation History at Princeton Theological Seminary, dives into his book on the 1525 Peasants' Revolt. He explores how the uprising was deeply rooted in the peasants' religious beliefs and rituals, offering new insights that challenge traditional political narratives. Appold highlights the peasants' desire for peace and charity, their expectations from Martin Luther, and the harsh responses they faced. The conversation sheds light on the complexities of faith among the rural populace during a pivotal moment in history.

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INSIGHT

Reformation's Turning Point

The 1525 peasants' revolt marks a turning point when the Reformation shifted from popular movement to elite-backed project.
Kenneth G. Appold argues the revolt's failure and Luther's siding with princes accelerated that institutional shift.

ANECDOTE

Origin Of The Twelve Articles

The Twelve Articles originated in Upper Swabia and were drafted in Memmingen as a manifesto peasants elsewhere adopted.
Appold highlights Kempton's particularly abusive prince-abbot as setting crucial local context for the document.

INSIGHT

Theological Framing Of Grievances

The Twelve Articles combined practical grievances with theological rationale and scripture citations.
That theological framing helped the document travel and resonate beyond local disputes.

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Kenneth G. Appold joins Jana Byars to talk about his new book, Luther and the Peasants: Religion, Ritual, and the Revolt of 1525 (Oxford UP, 2025). The German Peasants' Revolts of 1525 were a defining moment both for the Protestant Reformation and the history of European culture. But while the conflicts are well-studied, they are typically analyzed today from political and socioeconomic perspectives, whereas the protagonists themselves framed them in religious and theological terms. Luther and the Peasants takes these perspectives seriously to offer a novel and timely reinterpretation of the uprisings. A detailed examination of peasants' religious lives reveals commitments to peace, social harmony, and the environment that came into conflict with spiritual priorities of the Protestant Reformation, notably with those of Martin Luther. Drawing on the peasants' own documents, such as the famous manifesto The Twelve Articles, the book provides a thorough re-examination their actions, including their negotiations with lords and their organization into bands and Christian brotherhoods, and a fresh analysis of their behavior in battle. This ritual reconstruction makes peasants' statements and behaviors historiographically legible for the first time, effectively giving voice to an illiterate rural people, and offers new ways of reading Luther's 1525 writings on peasants, which are among his most challenging works. In this context, the 1525 conflict between Luther and the peasants comes to light as the collision of two different religious worlds, each incomprehensible to the other. This, in turn, reveals the important role played by religion in a defining moment of early modern European history.

Kenneth G. Appold, James Hastings Nichols Professor of Reformation History, Princeton Theological Seminary.

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