Michael Gaismayr

Overview

Michael Gaismair is generally known as the leader of the oppressed people in the Tyrolean peasant uprisings in the 16th century. Yet he was far more than a simple rebel. Michael Gaismair had extraordinary foresight and he dared to fundamentally question the church and the supremacy of the nobles – which of course did not please the authorities at all. Betrayal and imprisonment only fueled his passion for the concerns of the peasants and ensured that he was no longer content with reforms. In his thoughts and actions, he was in no way inferior to Martin Luther and Thomas Müntzer. His plans and actions brought him into contact with the Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli and the two kingdoms of France and Venice. His demands was far ahead of its time and already included points such as the separation of the church from the state, or the reduction of privileges. But the powerful Habsburgs knew how to prevent this and persecuted the Tyrolean leader until his death.