'The princes are nothing but tyrants who flay the people; they fritter away our blood and sweat on their pomp and whoring and knavery.' These were the words of Thomas Muentzer at the head of the massed ranks of a peasant army in the year 1525. Ranged against him were the might of the princes of the German Nation. How did Muentzer, the son of a coin maker from central Germany, rise in just a few short years to become one of the most feared revolutionaries in early modern Europe?
In this brilliant work of historical excavation, Andrew Drummond charts the life and times of the man Martin Luther denounced as a 'Ravening Wolf' and 'False Prophet'. Drummond shows us Muentzer as a human being. Far from the bloodthirsty devil of legend, he was a man of considerable learning and principle, deeply sympathetic to the misery of the peasantry and the poor. In his short life - he was beheaded at thirty-five - Muentzer promised to fundamentally upend German society.
Seeking to save Muentzer from the condescension of history, Drummond guides us through the religious and political disputes of the Reformation, placing his life and thought in the context of those turbulent years. The result is a portrait of an often contradictory but always radical figure, one who continues to inspire movements of the poor across the globe.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
At last - a new account for our times of Thomas Muentzer, theologian and revolutionary. Drummond brings Muentzer and his world vividly to life. He shows us just why Muentzer hated Luther, and how he came to take up arms. What did it mean to be a revolutionary in sixteenth-century Germany? - Drummond shows us. You will be gripped and inspired by this exciting story - I couldn't put it down. -- Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History at Oxford, and author of <i>Martin Luther: Renegade and Prophet</i> Posterity has endorsed not just Luther's victory but also his determined character assassination of his rival. Andrew Drummond's scholarly but eminently readable, thoughtful, thorough and at times witty biography of Muentzer redresses the balance for English-speaking audiences -- Professor Michael Russell, University of Glasgow Among the famous figures associated with 16th century Germany, that of religious thinker and social revolutionary Thomas Muentzer deserves to be far better known. Andy Drummond's excellent, brilliantly written and entertaining, new biography delves deep into the archival material to draw out the history of a radical whose life is often obscured by propaganda and myth. As we approach the 500th anniversary of Muentzer's execution, this book is the definitive account of his life. -- Martin Empson, author of <i>'Kill all the Gentlemen': Class Struggle and Change in the English Countryside</i> A blisteringly good book about personal enmity, and the difference between revolution and reform. -- Daniel Brooks * Telegraph * Drummond's marvellous romp of a biography - part jolly Simon Winder-like deep dive into 16th-century Germania, part sagacious reflection on the Reformation in the manner of Diarmaid MacCulloch - aims to free Muentzer from his detractors. -- Stuart Jeffries * Spectator * Drummond's biography of this volatile and subversive thinker is both highly readable and carefully researched. -- Peter Marshall * Literary Review * Andrew Drummond's skeptical and compassionate biography documents a life that is as much a warning as an inspiration to the modern left. Its evocative, exquisitely detailed panorama of Reformation Germany leads us to reflect on the tangled links between religious zeal and the successful exercise of political power. -- Michael Ledger-Lomas * Jacobin * Perceptive and highly readable ... in Drummond's deft hands, Muentzer's story testifies to the extraordinary dynamism and fervour of the early years of the German Reformation. -- Bridget Heal * Church Times * An engaging book that gives a tidy primer on Thomas Muentzer. -- Greta Gaffin * National Catholic Reporter * Drummond's skeptical and compassionate biography documents a life that is as much a warning as an inspiration to the modern left. Its evocative, exquisitely detailed panorama of Reformation Germany leads us to reflect on the tangled links between religious zeal and the successful exercise of political power. -- Michael Ledger-Lomas * Jacobin * Drummond makes a virtue of the scant information available...Those interested in the political and religious struggles that shaped the modern world will delight in this well-researched case study in zeal. * Publishers Weekly *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Maße
Höhe: 236 mm
Breite: 156 mm
Dicke: 31 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-83976-894-1 (9781839768941)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Andrew Drummond is a historian, novelist and translator based in Edinburgh. He is the author of four novels and, more recently, a biography of the eighteenth-century adventurer Maurice Benyovszky, as well as an account of attempts to extend rail connections to the north-west Highlands of Scotland.
Wettin Family Tree
Map
Acknowledgements
Notes on the Text and Some Helpful Remarks
1. A Most Useful Lesson
An introduction
2. The End of the World
Historical and religious background to the German Reformation
3. The Devil Sowed His Seed
Muentzer's early years
4. Murder and Riot and Bloodshed
Preacher in Zwickau (1520-1521)
5. He Ran Away like an Arch-Villain
A visit to Prague (1521)
6. Satan Wandered in the Wilderness
Erfurt, Nordhausen and Halle (1522-1523)
7. Satan Made Himself a Nest in Allstedt
A fruitful year of activity in Allstedt (1523-1524)
8. His Face Was as Yellow as a Corpse's
Rebellion in Allstedt (1524)
9. Using God's Name, He Spoke and Acted for the Devil
Muentzer's theology
10. The Devil Never Let Him Rest
Muehlhausen and Nuernberg (1524)
11. His Poisonous Seed
In south-west Germany at the time of the peasant uprising (1524-1525)
12. The Time Was Come
The Thuringian uprising (1525)
13. Thomas Would Catch All the Bullets in His Sleeves
The Battle of Frankenhausen (May 1525)
14. How God Punishes Disobedience
The aftermath of defeat at Frankenhausen
15. Rebellious Violent Preachers
The early Anabaptists
16. The Devil in Person
Historiography
Conclusion
Chronology
Bibliography
Notes
Index
