Turbulence and the German Peasants’ War of 1524–6

This article uses the lens of ‘turbulence’ to give a new perspective on the German Peasants’ War of 1524–6. It suggests that the term Aufruhr (commotion/turbulence) shaped contemporary perceptions, arguing that the peasants’ patterns of movement – spirals, circles, unpredictable shifts – were central to the revolt’s spread and power. Drawing on engineering and art, it highlights how motion itself mixed the members of the armed bands, challenged lordship, and unsettled authorities. The war’s turbulence was also echoed in art, especially Lucas Cranach’s hunting scenes, reasserting noble order. Turbulence, it argues, was not just metaphor, but a force that shaped history.