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.