Second Upper Austrian peasant uprising
The Second Upper Austrian Peasant Uprising 1594–1597 was an uprising that began in the Mühlviertel but soon spread to all of Upper Austria and parts of Lower Austria . Officially, all peasant uprisings were so-called "religious wars". The real cause of this uprising was the poor economic conditions and the steadily rising taxes ( tithe ) and the work of the population ( robot ). The direct trigger, however, was a religious conflict.
prehistory
In the provisions of the Augsburg Religious Peace of 1555 it was stipulated that the respective sovereign had to determine the religion of his subjects ( Cuius regio, eius religio ). Emperor Maximilian II waived this and passed the rights on to the respective sovereigns. This meant that, for example, Protestant priests were also installed in the parishes in which the town councils were Protestant. Catholic priests were installed in the parishes in which the right to appoint priests lay with the Catholic sovereigns (e.g. monasteries, monasteries). As long as Maximilian II, who was very liberal towards the Lutherans, ruled, the Protestant faith was openly practiced by most aristocrats and townspeople.
With the deaths of Maximilian II and Rudolf II as the new emperor in 1576, the situation changed completely. In contrast to Maximilian II, the Catholic educated Rudolf II insisted on his right to determine the religion of his subjects himself.
This led to efforts to oust the Protestants from the influential positions of the court and administrative offices and from the parishes. Above all, the exchange of Protestant priests in the parishes by Catholics aroused resistance in the population, who expected the Protestant faith to improve their living conditions. There were sometimes violent riots against the new priests.
Another main reason was the higher burdens on the subjects due to the emperor's war efforts against the Ottoman Empire. So-called war taxes were levied to finance the imperial army.
The climax of these disputes was the so-called " Sierninger Handel ". In Sierning resistance arose in 1588 against the new Catholic priest who wanted to reinstate the Catholic mass liturgy. A solution was finally found. The Catholic pastor was allowed to stay, but had to appoint a Protestant vicar. This victory of the Protestants led to efforts by the population of other parishes to defend themselves against the reinstatement of Catholic priests.
trigger
The direct trigger of the uprising was the reinstatement of a Catholic priest in Sankt Peter am Wimberg in 1594 by the St. Florian monastery.
When the previous Catholic priest, who could be described as liberal, resigned in April 1594 because of his old age, a new priest was sought. The choice fell on Paul Wasserleitner, a Catholic priest. This choice was not welcomed especially by the Protestant part of the population and Wasserleitner was threatened again and again when he arrived on May 10, 1594:
"If I do not consecrate the Sacrament to you in German, you will neither want to know nor hear me and certainly not suffer from a papist priest, but want an evangelical priest who will hand you a German god"
On June 26th, after repeated threats from the farmers, Wasserleitner left the community. The provost of St. Florian then sued the governor Hans Jakob Löbl. This called on the parish to instigate a revolt under penalty. The priest then returned again.
On July 10th, a few peasants gathered in the tavern and went armed to the cemetery to beat the pastor to death. He got away safely because he was warned by other people. On September 18, about 50 farmers detained the priest in the church. Thereupon he fled through the vestry door and finally fled to St. Florian.
Andreas Schnobrich, who was appointed as Wasserleitner's successor, also had to flee under military escort after negotiations with the farmers. The priests were treated in a similar way in other parishes.
course
Eruption in Upper Austria in 1595
On August 2, 6,000 armed farmers from Rohrbach and Neufelden rallied and marched to Schlägl Abbey with the demand that Lutheran priests and so-called " schoolmasters " be appointed. The provost von Schlägl then fled to Prague to the emperor and asked him for help.
Between August 10 and 16, around 300 farmers took over Rannariedl Castle . At the same time, the Haslach market and Falkenstein Castle were besieged.
On August 24th, Rudolf II sent two patents. One thing to the sovereigns in that he sharply criticized them and urged them to act. The other went public. In this he urged the subjects to obedience and calm.
On September 8th, the governor sent a patent to the community in which he set up a commission to investigate the complaints of the rebellious farmers. The farmers, for their part, should form committees which should bring complaints to the Commission. Far from all parishes followed this invitation.
On September 26th, negotiations began under the Reichshofrat Alexander von Sprinzenstein .
To the surprise of the sovereigns, who had expected a purely religious conflict, the complaints of the population included not only the religious disputes of recent years, but above all complaints about taxes and compulsory labor.
After these first negotiations did not bring a solution, the revolt spread to the other parts of Upper Austria . Especially in the Hausruckviertel there were frequent gatherings of peasants and smaller sieges of places where the population was asked to join the revolt.
On October 16, farmers invaded the town of Eferding under the pretext of buying food and occupied the town gates and the main square. About 4,000 to 5,000 farmers moved from Haag am Hausruck to Mondsee via Frankenburg . The Archbishop of Salzburg, Wolf Dietrich , had 6,000 men stationed on the border with Upper Austria. The abbot of Mondsee informed the farmers of what they left.
On October 15, Reichhart von Starhemberg was commissioned by the estates to travel to the emperor in Prague and ask for help. On October 20, he issued an ultimatum to the rebels to lay down their arms and return to order. Otherwise “... he will use the sword that God has trusted in high heaven.” ( Albin Czerny, The second peasant uprising in Upper Austria, 1595-1597 p.102 ).
After this ultimatum was unsuccessful, an army was set up from October 24th to October 31st, which in the end consisted of 2,000 foot soldiers and 500 horsemen. This army, led by Hans Wilhelm von Zelking , was to march to Eferding and recapture the city from the peasants. On the same day, Governor Löbl, protected by 140 horsemen, moved to Eferding to negotiate with the farmers. On November 3, he returned with 6 ringleaders captured. Zelking then drove the farmers out of Eferding.
At the same time the uprisings began to spread to the Machlandviertel and the Traunviertel .
The battle near Neumarkt
On November 11th, Weikhart von Polheim moved with a troop of 165 horsemen and 100 mercenaries to Wels , where he was joined by a further 160 men. From there he went via Grieskirchen to Neumarkt am Hausruck , where he came across 4,000 farmers in a field. The farmers sent two messengers to Weikhart von Polheim and asked for an interview. Weikhart urged the farmers to give up. Meanwhile the peasants had time to inspect the estate troops. After the ambassadors were halfway back, the battle on the Stadlfeld in Kledt near Neumarkt im Hausruck took place on November 13th.
The leader of the farmers was Pankraz Prandhofer, landlord zu Grübl near Steinerkirchen. On the side of the estate troops, the riders, most of the nobles and knights, lined up in the front row. After part of the infantry had fired and had to retreat to reload, several riders began to pull away from the rear guard and soon the majority of the cavalry followed them. Polheim tried in vain to induce his riders to turn back, but only a few had the courage and stayed by his side. Since the foot troops no longer had cover, they had to disperse as well. Polheim fled with some companions to Parz Castle , where he met Starhemberg with his band and spent the night.
The riders had lost a number of horses, but were able to save their lives, while many of the ranks of the ranks lost their lives. Some escaped into the woods, others, mostly wounded, were taken prisoner by the farmers.
142 dead were counted on the estate side and 10 dead on the side of the peasants. Furthermore, the farmers had taken 27 prisoners.
negotiations
On November 16, two of the commission appointed on September 8, Balthasar Voglsanger, a city councilor from Wels and Martin Stangl, the city clerk from Wels, were sent to Grieskirchen to begin peace negotiations. The farmers held a large gathering on the large meadow in front of the market (probably between Reinleiten and Hohe Stege) and issued a lapel on November 20, which was signed by the miners in many parishes and released the prisoners. The complaints should be recorded in writing and sent to the emperor to await a resolution. Furthermore, both sides decided not to commit any more acts of violence in the meantime.
Hans Wilhelm von Zelking was sent to Prague on November 26th with the farmers' complaints, where he received an audience with the Kaiser on December 1st. The latter issued three patents to Upper Austria on December 6, stating that he would send two imperial commissioners to Upper Austria. In addition, on January 10, 1596, the estates and farmers in Prague, represented by authorized representatives, were to appear.
On December 12th, Governor Löbl presented the imperial patents to the state parliament, which accepted them. The farmers for their part had in the meantime already collected complaints and two representatives were sent to Prague because they did not trust the authorities and thus the commission appointed. These complaints mainly referred to taxes and labor services. The emperor, for his part, referred to his patent of December 6th and instructed the representatives to wait for January 10th.
At the same time, the peasants resisted disarmament. There were all sorts of rumors of foreign soldiers who had come into the country to put down the uprising and thus deceive the peasants.
On January 16, 1596, the ambassadors of the estates handed over a letter to Rudolf II. In this one could read that the peasants had risen for no reason, as they could have complained to the respective sovereign at any time. The farmers had already taken up arms before a complaint was made. It was also mentioned that they continued to rebel despite the numerous calls for calm. In addition, Upper Austria would not be the only country in which there were revolts over taxes. The estates also noticed that if one gave in to the demands of the peasants, the peasants in other parts of the country would also rise up.
The representatives of the farmers, who discussed the complaints all the time, submitted them on January 28th. A petition ( supplik ) sent along justified the farmers' behavior. They would never have had in mind to depose the sovereigns, since only a few would have increased the taxes over time and with threats of violence demanded more and more injustices. The violence was also committed by a few contentious people. The deadline for handing over weapons, which the farmers themselves bought, was also far too short. The emperor is also called upon to reverse the changes made in the past decades of tithe, robot and war taxes.
On February 3rd, the emperor sent a notice to the peasants that they should obey the disarmament more and obey the services to the sovereigns. Only then should the complaints be heard.
After this decision was read publicly to the farmers, it started to ferment again. This time not only in Upper Austria, but also in parts of Lower Austria , the rumor began. At the end of March, the peasants gradually began to calm down and arms sales also began.
Finally, on June 6th, the emperor issued the patent that had emerged from previous negotiations. In this the emperor responded very hesitantly and evasively to the complaints of the peasants, but emphasized the importance of the peasants' obedience. Religious matters were not even mentioned. He also expressed his willingness to send a tribunal of 5 people, a Reichshofrat, a member of the Lower Austrian government, one from the court chamber, an Upper Austrian regional councilor and a member of the monastery council. These should receive the complaints, investigate them and submit a report to the emperor.
This resolution met with incomprehension among the peasants, and one began to wonder whether this would not be a delaying tactic. So they refused to adhere to them. Finally, on June 21, the emperor sent an ultimatum to the farmers. They should hand in their weapons in Linz within 14 days and stick to the patent. Nor should they rise up against the sovereigns any more. The cities and markets are forbidden to deliver weapons and ammunition to the farmers. Anyone who does not adhere to this will be arrested and brought to justice. On June 27, the farmers besieged Rohrbach and cut off the food supply. On July 28th they besieged Aigen. Catholic priests were also chased out of many parishes and replaced by Protestant preachers. Finally, on August 12, the emperor sent his subjects a patent that the Protestant preachers and ringleaders were to be arrested. On August 15, the tribunal appointed by the emperor finally arrived in Linz. (Pp. 207–214)
Gradually the complaints from the farmers and the statements of the landlords reached the commission. The new demands of the landlords on the peasants in September, due to the campaign against the Ottomans, caused the peasants to send their own supplication to the emperor. In it they protested against the renewed armament money. (Otto Kainz p.48)
Incident and Expansion
On October 7th, an incident occurred during the mustering in Steyr Castle, which escalated the situation. Through the campaign against the Ottomans, the 5th and 10th men were mustered in the entire territory. The subjects appeared reluctantly. Two subjects became particularly aggressive and threatened the counts. After the two troublemakers were extradited, the subjects finally had themselves examined. (Otto Kainz. P.48)
On November 13th, the two were beheaded in secret, but covered by a written order from the emperor without trial. However, this action did not remain a secret and shortly afterwards an uprising broke out in the Traunviertel. The leaders of this uprising were Georg Tasch and Hans Gundensdorfer. (Kainz p.48 + 49)
The rebels besieged Kremsmünster Abbey on November 24, but they broke it off after four days. Instead, they besieged the city of Steyr on December 1st. They were already awaiting the siege and were accordingly well prepared. On December 6th, the farmers withdrew, but forbade the population to deliver food to Steyr. (Kainz p. 50) At the same time, uprisings broke out in the Waldviertel.
On December 10th, the emperor issued a new patent in which he announced the dispatch of the imperial herald. At the same time, he threatened the subjects with severe punishment if they did not stop rebelling. He also urged the subjects to pursue the ringleaders. (Kainz p.55-)
The estates therefore held a meeting in Linz on June 7, 1597, and it was decided to reach out to the ringleaders and have a general patrol carried out. Starhemberg first roamed the Mühlviertel, where all parishes were subjugated until July 20th. During the execution march he proceeded with a severity which even the estates did not approve of. In order to warn and deter the citizens, he mainly hung the ringleaders in public in the markets. In the Hausruckviertel he hanged two rebels in Aschach and two in Eferding on July 23, one in Neukirchen am Walde on July 24 and two in Peuerbach on July 26. The leader of the peasants in the Battle of Neumarkt, Pankraz Prandhofer, was brought to the place of the armed conflict on July 27, where his right (oath) hand was cut off and given to the executioner. On the same day, Thomas Brunbaur, gunsmith von Roith and a former expert in rural artillery, was hanged. The only execution ever carried out in Grieskirchen took place on July 28, 1597, when Mathias Röll was brought to the executioner at the execution site on Galgenfeld.
See also
literature
- Albin Czerny: The second peasant uprising in Upper Austria, 1595-1597. Publishing house of FI Ebenhöch'schen Buchhandlung (Heinrich Korb), Linz 1890 ( online at archive.org).
- Siegfried Haider : History of Upper Austria. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 1987, ISBN 3-486-54081-5 , p. 192.
- Julius Strnadt : The peasant uprising in the Mühlviertel in the years 1594–1597. A contribution to the history of this peasant war. In: XVIII. Annual report of the Francisco-Carolinum Museum in Linz, 13. Linz 1858, pp. 179–220 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
- Otto Kainz: The court martial protocol for the Lower Austrian peasant uprising of 1596/97.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Günter Merz: The futile effort to secure Protestantism (~ 1568–1600) in the OoeGeschichte.at forum
- ↑ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 1-4
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 20-67
- ↑ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 73 + 74
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 78-81
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 91 to 93
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 95-98
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597, pp. 109-115
- ↑ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597, pp. 121-123
- ^ Michael W. Pühringer: History of Grieskirchen and the surrounding area. 1882, p. 70 , accessed February 17, 2017 .
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 123-128
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 138-146
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597, pp. 151-154
- ↑ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 p. 156 and 157
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 pp. 158-159
- ↑ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 p. 163-166
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597, pp. 168-170
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597 p. 176
- ^ Albin Czerny: The second Upper Austrian peasant uprising 1594-1597, pp. 194-202
- ^ Michael W. Pühringer: History of Grieskirchen and the surrounding area. 1882, p. 73 , accessed February 17, 2017 .