German Peasants' War, 1524-25: Peasant Rebel of the "Bundschuh"

1524: the revolt spreads along the Rhine, the Danube, the Lake Constance, in the Black Forest, in Swabia, Franconia. Peasants storm monasteries and castles.
Insurrections are transformed into war: in the single diocese of Wuerzburg 60 castles and 20 monasteries are burnt, in that of Bamberg 197 fortresses and 6 cloisters (Henric L. Wuermeling: "Die Geschichte Bayerns").

In March 1525 some leaders of the peasants (Baltringer Haufen, Allgaeuer Haufen, Seehaufen) met in Memmingen to agree a common cause. On March 20, 1525, they adopted the "Twelve Articles". The Articles demanded the rights for the communities of the peasants and are considered to be the first written set of human rights in Europe.
In the photo: the front of the Kramerzunft in Memmingen; the building where the Articles were written.

Hagenwil Castle - Schloss Hagenwil

This beautiful castle, one of the most picturesque and iconic castles in Switzerland, was built in the 13th century and is still surrounded by a wide moat. It is immersed in a beautiful idyll of meadows and orchards and is one of the few examples in Europe of castles with moat preserved in their original architectural form (drawbridge, tower, palace, chapel, battlements).
The castle was besieged in 1405 by the troops from Appenzell (Appenzeller Kriege, Wars of Appenzell); during the 15th and 16th centuries (largely under the Bernhausen family) he took on its Gothic appearance. In 1633, during the Thirty Years War, he was attacked and looted by the Swedish troops.
From 1684 it was a small summer residence of the Abbots of St. Gallen. Today it is privately owned and a restaurant.

Götz von Berlichingen, Der “Ritter mit eisernen Hand” (1480-1562)

Götz von Berlichingen, Imperial Knight and mercenary, with his “Iron Hand” (metal prosthesis with moving mechanism).