Martin Luther, serfdom and the German Peasants’ War

About this episode

Lyndal Roper discusses the German Peasant's War and its historical significance.

Lyndal Roper, Regius Professor of History at Oxford University is on excellent form to talk me through the German Peasant's War of 1524-25. Things I learned: - take Martin Luther seriously (but not literally) - monasteries feed the poor and needy (particularly when they are armed and extremely determined) - the scale of the revolt was off the charts, nothing like it until the French Revolution - the East German State celebrated its revolutionary past with a mural of the war which needs to be ...

People in this episode

Host: Russell Hogg

Guest: Lyndal Roper

Topics covered

• German Peasant's War
• Martin Luther
• historical revolts
• serfdom
• education

Keywords

• German Peasant's War
• Martin Luther
• serfdom
• historical revolts
• 1524-25

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oxford University

Places: East Germany

More episodes of Subject to Change

• POWs of the Crimean War · May 22, 2026 · 47 min
• The Return of the Emperor (Justinian II - part 2) · April 27, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Mutilated and exiled (the Emperor Justinian II - part 1) · April 20, 2026 · 47 min
• Buckingham: the most hated man in England · March 31, 2026 · 1h 18m
• YEAR ZERO: Jonathan Clements on the First Emperor of China · March 10, 2026 · 1h 20m
• The Big Hop of 1919 · February 17, 2026 · 1h 16m