Chapter Three: Hard Times

Hard Times

Introduction

  • Setting: Obernai, Alsace, a town ten miles south of Strasbourg, nestled near the Vosges Mountains, a German-speaking region within France. This location is significant as it places the narrative in a region known for its viticulture, frequent peasant uprisings, and cultural tensions. The proximity to both French and German influences adds complexity to the socio-political landscape.

  • Time: Midsummer 1517, a critical period just before the grape harvest. The anticipation of a successful harvest is high, but the looming threat of failure amplifies the tension. This period also coincides with the early years of the Reformation, adding religious undertones to the existing socio-economic anxieties.

  • Joss Fritz: A pivotal revolutionary figure, arrives in Obernai to instigate and plan a third Bundschuh (peasant revolt). His presence marks the beginning of organized resistance against the established order. Fritz is not merely a local agitator but a seasoned revolutionary with a broader vision for social change.

  • Fritz's Background: Experienced in revolutionary tactics, Fritz possesses a deep understanding of the socio-economic conditions that fuel peasant discontent. His experience makes him a credible and dangerous leader. Having participated in previous uprisings, he brings strategic insights and a network of contacts to the new revolt.

  • Recruitment: Fritz strategically employs vagabonds, strolling players, balladmongers, hawkers, and discharged mercenaries to disseminate the Bundschuh message. These individuals are key in reaching a broad audience and spreading revolutionary ideas. Their mobility and familiarity with different communities make them effective communicators and organizers.

Aims and Ideology of the Bundschuh

  • Radicalism: The Bundschuh's aims for a new world order are profoundly radical for 1517, exceeding the scope of previous attempts. The movement seeks to dismantle the existing social hierarchy and redistribute power. Unlike earlier peasant movements with localized grievances, the Bundschuh envisions a complete overhaul of the feudal system.

  • Rejection of Authority: The Bundschuh vehemently rejects all forms of lordly authority, advocating for the banishment or execution of lords. This stance underscores the movement's commitment to eliminating feudal oppression. The rejection extends to the traditional rights and privileges of the nobility.

  • Limited Acceptance of Authority: The movement recognizes only the emperor and pope as legitimate authorities, reflecting a complex view of governance and a desire for centralized, perhaps more benevolent, rule. This selective acceptance suggests a yearning for justice and order, rather than complete anarchy.

  • Hatred for Clergy: A notable animosity towards the clergy is evident, with plans to torch their houses using funds (hundreds of gulden). This hatred stems from perceptions of corruption and exploitation by the Church. The clergy's wealth and perceived moral failings make them a prime target for peasant anger.

Socio-Economic Context: Suffering in the Rhine Valley

  • Familiar Sights: The emaciated faces and swollen bellies of starving children are common sights, illustrating the widespread malnutrition and poverty in the Rhine Valley. These visual cues serve as a stark reminder of the systemic failures and inequalities of the time.

  • Past Hardships: Memories of desperate years such as 1493, 1502, and the particularly harsh winter of 1511 linger, shaping the collective consciousness and driving the desire for change. These historical events serve as reference points for current suffering and fuel the urgency for action.

  • Trigger for Rebellion: Bad harvests lead to spiked grain prices, exacerbating the already dire economic situation and pushing peasants to the brink of rebellion. Scarcity becomes the immediate catalyst for action. The price of bread, a staple food, becomes unaffordable, triggering widespread discontent.

  • Fritz's Strategy: Fritz strategically waits for increased misery before acting, understanding that desperation will make people more receptive to revolutionary ideas. This calculated approach highlights Fritz's understanding of social dynamics and his ability to exploit moments of crisis.

Crisis of 1514-1517: A Cascade of Disasters

  • Winter 1514: A bitterly cold winter leads to the freezing of vegetable crops, initiating a period of agricultural distress. The loss of essential vegetables undermines the nutritional base of the peasant diet.

  • Summer Following Winter 1514: Continuous rain spoils fodder, resulting in livestock slaughter and further economic loss for peasants. The inability to feed livestock forces peasants to kill their animals, depriving them of essential resources and future income.

  • Scapegoating: Peasants turn on Jews in Alsace, plundering and burning their houses based on false accusations of desecrating the host. Gypsies are also apprehended and their freedom curtailed, highlighting the social instability and prejudice of the time. These acts of violence reflect deeper societal tensions and the search for easy targets during times of crisis.

  • Summer 1516: A severe drought withers crops, significantly reducing wine production despite its rich quality, intensifying the economic hardships. The failure of the wine harvest, a key source of income for many peasants, exacerbates their financial woes.

Response from Authorities & Societal Anxieties

  • Strasbourg Authorities: Order printers to submit works for censorship to suppress seditious ideas, indicating a fear of revolutionary propaganda and the spread of dissenting views. This censorship reflects the authorities' concern about the power of the printed word to incite rebellion.

  • Rising Anxiety: False fears gripped the region, giving rise to belief of ill omens. This widespread anxiety reflects a society on edge, susceptible to rumors and superstitions. Unusual natural phenomena are interpreted as signs of divine displeasure.

  • Alsatian Woman's Vision: An Alsatian woman claimed to have seen her dead soldier husband's ghost, prompting masses arranged for his soul, illustrating the deep-seated religious beliefs and fears of the supernatural. This event highlights the intersection of personal grief, religious practice, and societal anxiety.

  • Rumors: People imagined dead relations escaping Purgatory ("legions of fury"), adding to the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. These rumors tap into deep-seated fears about death, judgment, and the afterlife.

  • Johannes Adelphus' Turkish Chronicle: Printed in Strasbourg, detailing the onslaughts of the infidel, heightening fears of external threats and religious conflict. The Chronicle reinforces the perception of a world under siege, both from internal and external enemies.

  • Priesthood: Constant pressure to perform masses for the deceased souls, revealing the importance of religious rituals in coping with death and disaster, but the call for an energetic priesthood largely went unanswered. The inability of the Church to meet the spiritual needs of the people contributes to growing disillusionment.

Winter of 1516: Scarcity and Inflation

  • Grain Prices: Doubled from two years before, reaching the highest level in over a generation, indicating severe economic stress. This spike in grain prices makes basic sustenance unaffordable for many.

  • Conditions: Farmers, craftsmen, and artisans exhausted their supplies, coupled with temperatures plummeting below zero for months, creating unbearable living conditions. The combination of scarcity and cold leads to widespread suffering.

  • Famine: Struck with terrible force in the new year, causing waves of deaths from malnutrition and diseases, underscoring the severity of the crisis. Famine becomes a grim reality, claiming the lives of the most vulnerable.

  • Mortality: Contemporaries referred to 1517 as the "bad year", reflecting the widespread perception of the year as one of unprecedented hardship and death. This epithet captures the collective trauma of the time.

Exploitation by the Church

  • Church's Actions: Released reserves of grain and wine to markets but profited from the crisis, leading to accusations of exploitation and insensitivity to the suffering of the populace. The Church's actions are seen as self-serving and morally reprehensible.

  • Peasant Discontent: Peasants embittered by the Church's attacks on customary rights, taxes, and tithes, viewing the Church as an oppressor rather than a source of solace. The Church's financial demands are perceived as unjust and oppressive.

  • Clergy's Behavior: Clergy and lords cashed in as poor farmers and city folk starved, deepening the divide between the privileged and the suffering. The contrast between the wealth of the elite and the destitution of the masses fuels resentment and anger.

Schwörtag Spectacle in Strasbourg

  • Annual Event: Citizens pledged fealty to governors and laws in the cathedral square, symbolizing civic unity and adherence to legal norms. This event underscores the importance of maintaining social order and civic responsibility.

  • City's Secretary: Uttered a collective prayer for luck, health, prosperity, and long life, highlighting the community's dependence on divine favor. The prayer reflects a yearning for stability and well-being in uncertain times.

  • Magistrates' Actions: Opened granaries and stores, selling grain at affordable prices, slashing taxes on pork, and investigating hoarding to prevent social unrest. These actions demonstrate the authorities' attempts to manage the crisis and maintain order. The magistrates seek to alleviate the immediate suffering of the population.

  • Goal: To prevent social unrest, indicating the government's awareness of the potential for revolt. The authorities recognize the need to address the underlying causes of discontent.

Debt and Financial Exploitation

  • Loan Defaults: Many families defaulted on loans from the previous year due to economic hardships. The inability to repay debts adds to the financial strain on peasant households.

  • Interest Payments: Interest payments were due at Candlemas in early February, adding financial strain during the harshest part of winter. The timing of these payments exacerbates the difficulties faced by peasants.

  • Clergymen as Financiers: Monks advanced cash loans for annuities or future harvests, acting as "slick financiers" and profiting from the peasants' desperation. The Church's involvement in lending practices raises ethical concerns.

  • Consequences: Debtors risked losing everything to usurers if crops failed again, creating a cycle of debt and despair. The threat of losing their land and possessions looms large for many peasants.

False Hope and Further Disasters

  • Early Spring 1517: Initial comfort from harvest indications proved to be short-lived, leading to dashed hopes. The fleeting sense of optimism is quickly replaced by renewed despair.

  • Late April: A cold spell froze young grapes and blistered kernels of wheat, barley, and rye, destroying essential crops. The unexpected frost deals a devastating blow to agricultural prospects.

  • Hailstorm: A severe hailstorm pulverized fields, vines, and vegetables, compounding the agricultural devastation. The hailstorm completes the destruction of the crops, leaving peasants with nothing.

  • Consequences: The harvest fell badly short, causing destitution and excommunication for those who borrowed from chapters and monasteries, further alienating the population from the Church. The combination of economic ruin and religious censure leaves peasants feeling abandoned and isolated.

Disease and Suffering

  • Smallpox: Tore through Strasbourg in 1517, overwhelming hospitals and causing widespread death and suffering. The outbreak of smallpox adds to the already dire health crisis.

  • Bubonic Plague: Struck Mulhouse, south of Strasbourg, for the second time in a decade, adding to the public health crisis. The recurrence of the plague underscores the vulnerability of the population to infectious diseases.

  • Procession: People of Strasbourg begged St. Sebastian and St. Roche to prevent the plague's spread, underscoring the reliance on religious intercession during health crises. The procession reflects the community's desperate attempt to seek divine protection.

  • Leprosy: Some weakened by hunger succumbed to leprosy and were isolated in leprosariums, highlighting the social exclusion and marginalization of the afflicted. The isolation of lepers emphasizes the stigma and fear associated with the disease.

  • English Sweat: A mysterious sickness reached Strasbourg in 1517, causing acute anxiety, violent shivers, giddiness, fatigue, and often death, adding to the atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. The new disease adds to the sense of foreboding and helplessness.

Religious Interpretations and Fear

  • Geiler's Teachings: Encouraged seeing devilry behind natural disasters, with Satan acting under God's sanction, reinforcing a worldview where evil forces were at play. Geiler's teachings promote a sense of cosmic conflict and moral decay.

  • Fear of God's Wrath: Belief that God had lost patience, leaving people at the mercy of demons, intensifying religious anxiety and the need for appeasement. The fear of divine retribution fuels religious fervor and the search for ways to regain God's favor.

  • Church's Role: The Church further cultivated its stake in peasant debt, leading to hatred of the clergy, creating a feedback loop of resentment and distrust. The Church's financial practices undermine its moral authority and credibility.

Joss Fritz's Plans and the Bundschuh Revolt

  • Fritz's Strategy: Planned his next move, promising a land free from landlords, taxes, and tithes, ruled by a wise emperor, presenting an appealing vision of liberation and justice. Fritz's promises resonate with the peasants' desire for a better life.

  • Revolt Plans: Included a bonfire signal in the hills above Rosheim, the capture of Rosheim, and an uprising in the Black Forest, illustrating a coordinated and strategic approach to rebellion. The revolt plans demonstrate Fritz's organizational skills and his commitment to a well-planned uprising.

  • Timing: Set for the second week of September, indicating a specific window for action.

Failed Revolt and Despair

  • Betrayal: A peasant confessed the plot to his priest, who informed authorities, leading to the unraveling of the rebellion. The betrayal highlights the vulnerability of the revolt to internal dissension and the power of the Church to suppress dissent.

  • Suppression: Cavalry patrols hunted conspirators, who were captured, tortured, and executed, demonstrating the brutal response of the authorities. The authorities' swift and merciless response serves as a warning to others who might consider rebellion.

  • Fritz's Disappearance: Fritz disappeared again, leaving supporters dispirited as winter approached, marking a moment of defeat and uncertainty. Fritz's departure leaves his followers feeling abandoned and hopeless.

Religious Responses and Doubt

  • Seeking Divine Intervention: Laity begged priests and monks for special masses, prayers, and processions, underscoring the continued reliance on religious practices during times of crisis. The continued reliance on religious practices reflects the enduring power of faith, even in times of doubt.

  • Doubts: Awful doubt remained that the Almighty would not listen to a sinning clergy's prayers, reflecting a crisis of faith and confidence in the Church. The doubts about the efficacy of prayer reflect a deeper crisis of faith and disillusionment with the Church.

  • Private Piety: People devoted themselves to private expressions of piety, doing good works, and praying at shrines, indicating a shift towards individual religious practice. The shift towards private piety suggests a growing sense of personal responsibility for one's spiritual well-being.

Hardships Continue

  • Starvation and Cold: Many starved or froze in December 1517, highlighting the ongoing crisis.

  • Overcrowded Shelters: 450 poor travelers crowded into the cathedral school, reflecting the scale of displacement and poverty.

Psychological Impact and Superstitions

  • Events as Omens: Viewed as celestial signs portending either good fortune or disaster, reflecting a culture steeped in superstition and the belief in divine intervention.

  • New Spirit of the Age: The emergence of a new spirit of inquiry and skepticism, symbolized by the Renaissance and Reformation, began to challenge traditional beliefs and institutions. This new spirit fostered a questioning attitude towards established norms and encouraged critical thinking.

Decline and Depopulation

  • Demographic Impact: Half or more of some village populations perished, leading to widespread depopulation, deserted farms, and economic collapse. The demographic devastation had long-lasting effects on the region's social and economic structure.

  • Economic Despair: Vineyards and fields went untilled due to lack of labor, intensifying the economic downturn and further impoverishing the remaining population. The neglect of agricultural lands exacerbated the cycle of poverty and despair.

  • Social Fabric: Begging increased, people left villages in droves, and some resorted to cannibalism driven by extreme hunger, indicating a complete breakdown of social order. These desperate acts highlight the severity of the crisis and the disintegration of societal norms.

Long-Term Consequences

  • Trauma: Survivors faced the trauma of immense loss, haunted by the memory of the "bad year", shaping their outlook on life and their relationship with the world. The psychological scars of the crisis lingered for generations, influencing cultural attitudes and behaviors.

  • Social Changes: The crisis may have facilitated social changes by weakening the existing feudal structures and creating opportunities for new forms of social organization. The disruption of traditional hierarchies could lead to new power dynamics and social arrangements.

  • Religious Shifts: Increased questioning of the Church's authority and a shift towards more personal forms of piety, paving the way for the Reformation's spread in the region. The crisis of faith could contribute to the growing appeal of Protestant ideas and practices.

Conclusion

  • Summary: The years 1514-1517 in Alsace were marked by a series of devastating events, including crop failures, disease outbreaks, and social unrest, exacerbated by economic exploitation and religious anxieties. These factors combined to create a period of intense hardship and suffering for the people of the Rhine Valley.

  • Historical Significance: This period serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of pre-industrial societies to natural disasters and the importance of social and economic resilience in the face of crisis. The events of these years also highlight the complex interplay of economic, social, religious, and political factors in shaping historical outcomes.