Title: 
Headings: Was Martin Luther a conservative or revolutionary leader in the 16th century? Virginia Jiang

Content: It
 
was
 
as
 
much
 
a
 
religious
 
war
 
as
 
a
 
pecuniary
 
brawl. The
 
bulk
 
of
 
taxation
 
from
 
the
 
Roman
 
Catholic
 
Church
 
originated
 
from
 
the
 
peasantry,
 
while
 
simultaneous
 
labor
 
shortages
 
caused
 
the
 
peasants
 
to
 
gain
 
power
 
economically. Both
 
the
 
Book
 
of
 
One
 
Hundred
 
Chapters
 
and
 
Luther’s
 
idea
 
of
 
universal
 
priesthood
 
seemed
 
to
 
promote
 
religious
 
and
 
economic
 
liberty.8
  
The
 
Protestant
 
peasants
 
continued
 
to
 
radicalize
 
Lutheranism. The
 
“Twelve
 
Articles”
 
became
 
their
 
“95
 
Theses”,
 
and
 
violence
 
became
 
their
 
tool. The
 
peasants
 
called
 
for
 
elected
 
preachers,
 
the
 
right
 
to
 
hunt
 
on
 
private
 
property,
 
the
 
right
 
to
 
fair
 
leases,
 
and
 
overall
 
the
 
right
 
to
 
be
 
equal.9
 
Luther
 
condemned
 
the
 
peasants
 
in
 
his
 
pamphlet,
 
Against
 
the
 
Murderous,
 
Thieving
 
Hordes
 
of
 
Peasants,
 
writing: “The
 
peasants
 
have
 
taken
 
upon
 
themselves
 
the
 
burden
 
of
 
three
 
terrible
 
sins
 
against
 
God
 
and
 
man; by
 
this
 
they
 
have
 
merited
 
death
 
in
 
body
 
and
 
soul. They
 
have
 
sworn
 
to
 
be
 
true
 
and
 
faithful,
 
submissive
 
and
 
obedient,
 
to
 
their
 
rulers,
 
now
 
deliberately
 
and
 
violently
 
breaking
 
this
 
oath. They
 
are
 
starting
 
a
 
rebellion,
 
and
 
are
 
violently
 
robbing
 
and
 
plundering
 
monasteries
 
and
 
castles
 
which
 
are
 
not
 
theirs. They
 
cloak
 
this
 
terrible
 
and
 
horrible
 
sin
 
with
 
the
 
gospel,
 
thus
 
they
 
become
 
the
 
worst
 
blasphemers
 
of
 
God
 
and
 
slanderers
 
6Galchutt,
 
Kathryn,
 
Ph.D.
 
Personal
 
interview.