Prior to reading this book, I encountered the German Peasants’ War as little more than a sordid footnote to the life of Martin Luther and history of the Protestant Reformation. Lyndal Roper’s painstakingly researched book provided me with a much more thorough understanding of the tragic events.

I appreciate that the author explores a variety of causes and leaders in the widespread, varied revolt rather than simplistically assigning blame to a conveniently unpleasant scapegoat or two. The peasants’ demands are discussed at some length, and they were not entirely unreasonable or unchristian…though some of their behavior certainly was as things spiraled into violence.

Of course, once the nobles finally decided to take violent action (largely at the bombastic, unrestrained urging of Martin Luther in one of the more shameful episodes of his career) things become bloody and depressing. This isn’t cheery reading, but it reveals human nature in its idealism, its greed, and its ability to twist beautiful truth to its own ends.

As with any history book, parts can be a bit dry and the author may import some of her own pet causes to a small degree. However, the level of research makes this a must read for anyone interested in this time period, in terms of Medieval German history or the Protestant Reformation.

I'll be honest, I knew very little of the German Peasants' War when I started. Now, I still feel like I only know the basic facts, and that's a problem. I took notes as a read, but I had to Google several names and places for history and context. To keep up with this book you will need a map of Germany at your side and a Wiki intro of the peasant leaders and belligerents. I understand that the level of participation in it varies from village to village but there are ways to keep the reader on track. Books I've read on large-scale German witch hunts accomplish this without losing the reader or overloading the narrative.

One major source is the Reformation, and the philosophy of Martin Luther vs. Thomas Muntzer. However I think Roper focused on this for too long, esp. Luther. Luther did not support the Peasants' War at all it turns out. I kept referring to my googled timeline to see what was happening as the War itself disappeared behind the politics. I would've liked to learn more about peasant life, their organizations that Roper kept mentioning, the role of religion and structure of their lives, the German feudal system, and esp. the Poor Conrad rebellion that occurred only a decade earlier. Why were peasant women given such limited access vs the Nunneries the men so eagerly attacked? What were the root causes of known Antisemitic acts? What was it about Southern German peasants that were so culturally different about say, Northern ones? In the end, the War was over before it really began, and I have more questions than answers.

Thank you Basic Books for fulfilling my request on NetGalley! Actual rating is 2.5 / 5.