Florian Geyer, and German Peasant War of 1524

When the German Peasants' War broke out in 1524, spurred on by Martin Luther's teachings, German Protestants were divided along class lines. Protestant peasants and silver miners, led by Thomas Müntzer, began taking over farms and mines. Müntzer also called for the abolition of all political posts except for that of the Emperor (who in the Holy Roman Empire was elected by landholders—which Müntzer asserted would now include peasants and miners).

Martin Luther thought this had gone too far, and sided with Protestant aristocrats who only wanted clerical reforms, calling upon peasants to put down their arms and surrender their farms. Müntzer's radical faction concluded that Luther was a traitor and continued to fight against both Catholic and Lutheran nobles.

Florian Geyer, together with a handful of dissident low-ranking knights and several hundred hastily trained peasant militiamen, established the Black Company (often called the Black Host or Black Band), which was possibly the only heavy cavalry division in European history to fight on the side of a peasant revolution.

















Listen to Bill Berry sing the song online on the Union Songs Website

http://unionsong.com/u079.html

Troops of Geyer clad in black are we
Heia o-ho
And we will stamp out tyranny
Heia o-ho

Chorus

Spearmen ho! Forward go!
On the castle roof let the Red Cock crow
Spearmen ho! Forward go!
On the castle roof let the Red Cock crow

When Adam dug and Eve did toil
Heia o-ho
No princes trespassed on their soil
Heia o-ho

Bold Geyer's men their arrows shoot
The knights are laid low
His banner bears a peasant's boot
To stamp out the foe

The noble's only God is pride
Heia o-ho
The Holy Scripture is our guide
Heia o-ho

We're beaten though our cause is right
Heia o-ho
Our sons will carry on the fight
Heia o-ho

Notes

Words from the singing of Bill Berry. According to Chris Kempster this song was brought back by Australians returning from a work brigade in Yugoslavia in the late 1940's. Werner Lowenstein tells me that he learnt it as boy in Germany and brought it to Australia as a refugee from the Nazis during World War II. He sang it in the Austral Singers in Melbourne. As far as I know this English version is only sung in Australia. "On the castle roof let the Red Cock crow" is a euphamism for burning the castle down.