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The Reformation · March 1525

The Twelve Articles of the Peasants

The peasants of Swabia

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What it is

Twelve demands — to choose their own pastors, to end serfdom, to fish and hunt freely, to have tithes used locally — each supported by a scripture reference.

Why it lasted

The first declaration of popular rights in European history to argue entirely from the Bible, and among the earliest printed mass-circulation manifestos.

Where to read it

Public domain and free to read in full, though not held here. The archives below have it.

These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.

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