Because the famous painter Jörg Ratgeb was quartered in 1526, some consider him a “martyr of the Peasants’ War.” The blame for the death of this brilliant artist is placed solely on the well-known legal scholar and Stuttgart city clerk Johann Elias Meichsner. Meichsner had indeed brought serious charges against the painter. But was he wrong to do so? It was this same Meichsner who, in early May 1525, drafted a massive number of circulars for the Württemberg peasant forces to mobilize all available forces against the approaching army of the Swabian League. Was he, then, more of a hero of the Peasants’ War? Or was he acting under duress? Meichsner had always been a staunch opponent of the murderous Duke Ulrich of Württemberg. When Ulrich was able to return to the Stuttgart throne in 1534, he had Meichsner thrown into prison (allegedly because of his activities during the Peasants’ War). Now Meichsner himself faced execution. But his son, the Heidelberg minister Dr. Sebastian Meichsner, together with other relatives, managed to save his father, who had already been weakened to the point of mortal danger by torture and imprisonment.

As usual, there will be a small reception following the lecture. Admission is free, and guests are warmly welcome.