Peasant Fires

“Deftly tells the story” of the murder of a peasant turned preacher in Germany “finding in it a foreshadowing of peasant uprisings in the 16th century.” —New York Times Book Review

In 1476, an illiterate German street musician had a vision of the Virgin Mary and began to preach a radical social message that attracted thousands of followers—and antagonized the church. The drummer was burned at the stake. This swiftly moving narrative of his rise and fall paints a vivid portrait of fifteenth-century German society as it raises important questions about the craft of history.

“Lively and intellectually stimulating.“—Speculum

“Engaging . . . [Wunderli's] scrupulousness and sensitivity make for a small but valuable book.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating and well written.” —Library Journal

“A stimulating read . . . an engaging synthesis.” —C entral European History

“A gem of a book. . . . It has a plot, good guys and bad buys, it opens up a 'strange' world, and it is exceptionally well written.” —Thomas W. Robisheaux, author of Rural Society and the Search for Order in Early Modern Germany