Peasant Fires: The Drummer of Niklashausen

Medieval European Christians had a distinctive grasp of time, and the perception of time forms a motif in the book. Wunderli even organizes his chronology around liturgical calendar events. How does this narrative structure engage the medieval mind? How does it help the reader connect with the figures in the text? Cite at least three textual examples in your answer.

Could the Church have harnessed the power of Behem’s message and leveraged it to their advantage? Explain your position.

The elite and the peasantry approached Christianity very differently. Explore in detail at least two examples of social class connecting to theological sensibility. Based on the text, what can the reader theorize about the relationship between material conditions and religious belief?

Wunderli argues that Behem’s case illuminates “some of the great historical forces, both material and mental, that shaped much of Germany on the eve of the Reformation” (5). What were those historical forces and how does this case study underscore them?

The text paints a vivid portrait of Behem, and the author even admits that portions of the narrative—such as mystical visions or certain elements of speeches—are his own imaginative reconstruction. Does Wunderli present an evenhanded image of Behem, or does the text imply a value judgment? Cite at least three textual examples in your answer.

While a separation between ordinary and enchanted times helped give meaning to medieval life, the author also suggests that festivals were among the elite’s tools for controlling the peasantry, subduing the peasantry’s discontent. How does this dual nature of ceremony play into the text’s overarching themes and concerns?

Explain how medieval people viewed miracles, like those Behem supposedly performed, as part of their “natural world.” Cite examples from the text.

How does Niklashausen serve as a microcosm of most German towns and villages in the late Middle Ages?