International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Hans Böhm was a popular fifteenth-century German preacher who gained fame as the “Drummer of Niklashausen” following a vision directing him to advocate greater social equality. Although his exact date of birth is unknown, Böhm was born in the village of Helmstadt in the south-central region of Germany known as Franconia. In 1476, Böhm, a shepherd and street entertainer, claimed to have had a vision of the Virgin Mary in the village of Niklashausen. The vision prompted a series of sermons that challenged the elites of Germanic society. The vision prompted Böhm to burn his drum in a medieval ritual called the Bonfire of the Vanities. Traditionally, citizens would burn their possessions (their vanities) in a public display of dependence on God and adherence to a lifestyle of poverty. Böhm declared that the vision of the Virgin Mary spoke of the need for more social equality. Social equality, Mary claimed, could only be accomplished with the cessation of payments to the corrupt clergy. In addition, all rents and forced labor at the hands of the nobles should stop. Although Böhm lacked both a religious and secular education, peasants were drawn to his sermons calling for their repentance but also critically attacking clergy and nobles. Böhm's call for equality based upon the words of the Virgin Mary even called for the end of taxes and, quickly, emerged as a threat to the status quo. ... log in or subscribe to read full text