Freiburg and the Breisgau in the Peasants' War 1524/25

Freiburg was one of the few larger cities in the Roman-German Empire to be captured and briefly ruled by the peasants. Freiburg, Breisgau and the Upper Rhine, including Alsace, were not the starting point of the Peasants' War 500 years ago, nor were they at the center of the conflict. Nevertheless, almost all the monasteries and castles on the Upper Rhine bore traces of destruction. The authorities in Ortenau and the Markgräfler Land tried to come to an agreement with the peasants with remarkable treaties.

To mark the anniversary of the Peasants' War in 2025, an international conference from March 26 to 28, 2025 at the University campus Freiburg will make the Upper Rhine perspective visible. At the same time, the event entitled "Freiburg and the Breisgau in the Peasants' War. Organization, Execution and Consequences of Peasant Violence against Castles, Towns and Monasteries 1524/25" aims to enrich the topic with an innovative methodical approach to the peasants' violent actions. In Freiburg in particular, outstanding sources have been preserved in the city archives, which provide information about the communication between the actors as well as the authorities' perception of the danger and also allow a meticulous reconstruction of the events.

As a public prelude to the conference, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Dendorfer, Professor of Medieval History and Head of the Department of Regional History, and Prof. Dr. André Krischer, Professor of Early Modern History at the University campus Freiburg, will jointly present the book "Der Bauernkrieg in Freiburg und im Breisgau. A reader on the history of a crisis". In the subsequent evening lecture, historian Prof. Dr. Horst Carl from the University of Giessen will address the topic of "Punishment and Killing - Excessive Violence in the Peasants' War". The following two days will focus, among other things, on violence against monasteries, conspiracies and betrayal as well as the "post-war period" of the Peasants' War.

When: March 26, 2025, 6 p.m., until March 28, 2025, 12:30 p.m.

Where: March 26: University of Freiburg, Lecture Hall 1098, Kollegiengebäude I (KG I), Platz der Universität 3, 79098 Freiburg; March 27 and 28: University of Freiburg, Max-Kade-Auditorium 2, Alte Universität, Bertoldstr. 17, 79098 Freiburg

The event is aimed at all interested persons. The book presentation and the subsequent evening lecture on Wednesday, March 26, 2025 from 6 p.m. are free to attend.

For participation on Thursday and Friday, registration is required by March 20, 2025 for planning purposes. This is possible via the eveeno platform.

A contribution towards expenses of 10 euros must be paid on site.