Bohemian Peasant Revolt, 1680




A.) Prehistory

In a number of villages, the peasants rebelled against burdensome feudal dues, most notably excessive demands for corvee labour by the landowners. Continued pressure on protestants to convert or emigrate may have contributed to the willingness of peasanrs to revolt.


B.) The rebellion of 1680

The rebellion centered in Northern Bohemia, in the districts of Caslau, Elbogen, Leitmeritz (Litomerice) and Bunzlau, both in areas inhabited by Czechs and by Germans. In May 1680 rebel peasants drew up a list of 43 demands. Regular forces under Piccolomini were used in order to contain and suppress the rebellion. The peasants were poorly armed and without experienced leadership. When troops approached, the rebels of Zwickau (Cvikov) fled to the Grünberg (Zeleny vrch), a mountain hideout; surrounded and hungry, there they surrendered after two days of resistance.
In May 1680 the first rebel leaders were hanged in Aussig (in Czech : Usti na Labem). In August 1680 a commission charged with punishing the rebel leaders was sent into the region; they finished their report August 29th, the last rebel leaders executed August 30th.
In German, the rebellion is referred to as the Robotaufstand of 1680; another one would follow in 1775. In Czech it is referred to as Selske Rebelie roku 1680


EXTERNAL
FILES 		Touristische Denkwürdigkeiten des Lausitzer Gebirges, from Lausitzer Gebirge, in German
Notater om Kejserens Makt i Ungann og Bøhmen (Notes on the Emperor's Power in Hungary and Bohemia), by Tor Førde, in Danish; on Recatholization policy
Geschichtliches uber Peterswald im Erzgebirge (Historical Notes on Peterswald in the Erzgebirge), by Franz Umlauft, in German
Geschichte Tschechiens, from Bohemistik, German-language timeline
Der Bauernaufstand im Jahre 1680 (the Peasant Rebellion in 1680), from Braunauer Ahnenforschung, in German
DOCUMENTS
REFERENCE



This page is part of World History at KMLA
First posted on February 26th 2004, last revised on November 19th 2004

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