Christian association
The Christian Association or Upper Swabian Confederation was founded on March 7, 1525 by the Upper Swabian peasantry. It was the amalgamation of the Baltringer Haufen , the Bodenseehaufen and the Allgäuer Haufen in order to better assert their interests in the German Peasants' War against the Swabian Confederation . “Forerunners” were Balthasar Hubmaier in Waldshut and Hans Müller von Bulgenbach with the “Protestant Association”.
The merger took place on the initiative of the leader of the Baltringer Haufen, Ulrich Schmid . Sebastian Lotzer from Memmingen was recommended as a scribe and expert in these matters as the clerk of the Baltringer Haufen . Lotzer seems to have been responsible for calling up the farmers in Memmingen. Christoph Schappeler was also present at the meeting of the three heaps . It cannot be ruled out whether other people from the city were present at the deliberations. The union took place on the first Sunday in March 1525. On the same day, the union of the three heaps to the Christian union was announced to the Swabian Federation. This was not taken with it. The federal governor Ulrich Artzt raged, “I see that the devil is single and in the paurn come. I can't think about how to style the pauren; So the general assembly was not very popular with those of Memmingen, sas sy söllich writings in ir instead of letting out. ” After the union was completed on March 7th, the peasant leaders separated again.
The next meeting was scheduled for March 15, and the approval of the city of Memmingen was obtained. At this second meeting of the leaders it was wanted that theologians and noblemen should examine the demands of the farmers. Philipp Melanchthon and Archduke Ferdinand of Austria were named among the desired persons . Since the Swabian Federation would not have agreed to the participation of theologians, it was probably thanks to the City Council of Memmingen that this demand was dropped. In a second list only the theologian Schappeler was mentioned.
At their third meeting on March 20, 1525, the Twelve Articles , a further development of the Memmingen Articles , were written in Memmingen . Together with the federal regulations, these are considered to be the world's first human rights declaration.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Richard van de Sandt: The southern Black Forest and its neighboring landscapes. Traveler's Notes. P. 114 ff.