Through The Twelve Articles, rebellious Swabian peasants use Lutheran philosophy to back their demands for relief from the oppression of the upper classes.
- Article 2: Reforming taxes
- Require that a provost be appointed who gathers and manages the tithe (tax)
- Appoint pastor for community – “the word of God plainly provides that in giving to God and distributing to his people the services of a pastor are required”
- Refuse to pay tithes in form of animals, because they assert that God has given Man dominion over all animals
- Article 3: Refuting serfdom
- Assert that God has given man the freedom to do has he wills within bounds, though everyone must obey elected and legitimate authority figures
- Thus they conclude that serfdom violates man’s right to freedom and demand that it be abolished
- Article 10: Returning
- Following Lutheran assertions, peasants assert that some land must be publicly owned
- Demand that land originally belonging to the community be returned to the community
- Article 11: Abolishing the Death Tax
- Do not approve of taxing deaths because it unjustly taxes widows and children
- Reflects the trend of fighting upper class greed and corruption initiated in part by Luther
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