The Dreadful History and Judgement of God on Thomas Müntzer: The Life and Times of an Early German Revolutionary

Historian Drummond (A Quite Impossible Proposal) offers an expansive biography of Thomas Müntzer (1489–1525), a radical figure of the German Reformation whom Martin Luther once called “Satan, a ravening wolf, and a false prophet.” Though Müntzer is generally seen as a marginal character, Drummond paints him as the protagonist of an even more extreme revolution within the Reformation. While little is known about Müntzer’s early life (possible archival references include a citation for “misbehavior at the dance-hall”), he eventually became a preacher in Zwickau, where he instituted major reforms. Among them was the requirement that his congregants be active participants in the church, an idea which gradually extended to encouraging his flock to join in violent peasant uprisings. Soon Müntzer was leading a revolt aimed at “the downfall of strong and godless tyrants.” After the successful plundering of several castles, Müntzer was captured and publicly beheaded. With his last words, he exhorted his princely captors not to punish the poor for the revolution. Drummond makes a virtue of the scant information available, letting Müntzer fade into the background during wide-ranging explorations of the disparate forces that coalesced into the Reformation movement. Those interested in the political and religious struggles that shaped the modern world will delight in this well-researched case study in zeal. (Feb.)