Martin Luther's Shameful Support of the German Princes Slaughter of Peasants in the Great Peasants' Revolt of 1524

I recently learned how adamantly Martin Luther supported the German Princes in the Great Peasants' Revolt of 1524 that slaughtered over 100,000 men, women, and children. Luther told the German princes to "strike, slay front and rear: nothing is more devilish than sedition. There must be no sleep, no patience, no mercy; they are the children of the devil!"[1]      

Martin Luther's rejection of the authority of the Catholic Church had the unintended consequence of destabilizing authority throughout Europe. The repercussions of this are still being felt today in the Marxist attacks on western institutions. 

The peasants of Germany revolted against the German princes and nobility in 1524. The German princes had been the ones to support the Lutheran revolt against the Catholic Church because it provided them with political cover for seizing Church lands and rejecting the authority of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. 

That came back to bite the German princes when their own authority came under attack ... 

What was the Great Peasants' Revolt of 1524?

The German Peasants' War, also known as the Great Peasants' War or Great Peasants' Revolt, was a widespread uprising of peasants, miners, and townsfolk that took place in Central Europe from 1524 to 1525. It was the largest popular revolt in Europe before the French Revolution. 

On April 16, 1524, peasants in Germany besieged the town and castle of Weinsberg. The nobles surrendered after a short battle. Despite this, the leader of the peasants, Jack Rohrbach, had them tortured and executed. 24 people were killed in total, including the local noble ruler. 

The nobility of Germany decided retribution should be swift and brutal ... 

What was Martin Luther's Part in the Slaughter of Peasants?

The German Princes sought Martin Luther's help in providing them with religious cover and motivation to brutally suppress the Peasant's Revolt. 

And Luther delivered ... 

In Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants, Luther condemned the violence as the devil's work and called for the aristocrats to put down the rebels like mad dogs.[2]

Luther urged the princes to "Strike, slay front and rear: nothing is more devilish than sedition. There must be no sleep, no patience, no mercy; they are the children of the devil!"[1]

Martin Luther & The German Peasants' Revolt: Footnotes

[1] Harney, The Catholic Church Through the Ages, 1974, p. 239.

[2] Jaroslav J. Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, Luther's Works, 55 vols. (St. Louis and Philadelphia: Concordia Pub. House and Fortress Press, 1955–1986), 46: 50–51.