The following is an excerpt from Twelve Articles, a list of twelve demands of the Swabian peasants in 1524—The 1524-1525 Peasants War was the first peasant-revolt after the Reformation to employ the doctrines of Martin Luther to justify political and social causes The Swabian peasants believed that their ideas were consistent with Lutheran beliefs so they sent a copy to Luther and solicited his response Luther rejected the peasants' advocacy of violence in Admonition to Peace, A Reply, to the Twelve Articles of the Peasants in Swabia After the peasants openly rebelled he wrote a second treatise in 1525 entitled Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants

To the Christian Reader Peace and the Grace of God through Christ

There are many Antichrists who on account of the assem bling of the peasants, cast scorn upon the gospel, and say Is...