Twelve Articles

E482920

The Twelve Articles were a 1525 manifesto of the Swabian peasants during the German Peasants' War, outlining their social, economic, and religious grievances and demands.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Twelve Articles canonical 2

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Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf historical document
peasants' program
political manifesto
associatedWithGroup Christian Union of Upper Swabia
Swabian League of Peasants
author Swabian peasants
containsNumberOfArticles 12
countryOfOrigin Holy Roman Empire
criticizedBy Martin Luther in "Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants"
date March 1525
demands abolition of personal serfdom
fair tithes
just and biblical law
limitation of lordly authority
reduction of feudal dues
restoration of common lands and rights of use
right to choose and depose pastors
distributionMethod pamphlet printing
documentType collective petition
draftedIn Memmingen
hasAlternativeName Twelve Articles of the Peasants
Zwölf Artikel
hasTitle Twelve Articles of the Swabian Peasants
historicalContext Reformation
historicalPeriod German Peasants' War
linked to: Peasants’ War
ideologicalBasis Reformation theology
appeal to Scripture
influenced early modern rights discourse
later peasant petitions
influencedBy Martin Luther's early writings
Reformation preaching
language Early New High German
legalStatusAtTime revolutionary demand list
mainTheme common lands
economic grievances
feudal obligations
peasants' rights
religious grievances
serfdom
social grievances
tithes
opposedBy many territorial princes
nobility of the Holy Roman Empire
placeOfOrigin Memmingen
printedIn large numbers in 1525
region Swabia
linked to: Duchy of Swabia
significance key programmatic text of the German Peasants' War
one of the first formulations of human and civil rights in Europe
subjectOf historical research on early modern social movements
year 1525

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Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.