Michael and Margaretha Sattler
A Sisters and Brothers Production
Michael sadly turns away from the
pleas of the Printer who is
begging for him to leave him
something to live on. Michael is
torn, but reluctantly does what he
feels he has to do for the church.
Michael Sattler was prior at St. Peter’s church, and collected taxes from the
peasants in the area. This money was turned over to Eberhard Hoffman, who
was the head of the Catholic Church in the region, and was partly used to
fight the battle against the Turks who were waging war throughout Europe.
Michael’s heart and beliefs are in great conflict as he watches the pain and
suffering around him, but feels an obligation to the church. When a local
Printer is put to death by Hoffman, it is the last straw for him, and he
realizes he must seek the truth and the peace that is eluding him with the
confines of the church walls.
Margaretha was a nun whom Michael had known for quite some time. She spends much of her
days feeding soup and gruel to the increasing numbers of hungry peasants who have nothing
left after Michael collects his obligatory taxes, and tends to starving and dying children as
well as adults. A torn Michael ends up leaving the church and asks Margaretha to go away
with him so they will be free to follow their beliefs.
Michael hands over what he has collected in taxes, which isn’t much. Hoffman berates
him for not collecting more, saying they need more gold to help fight the Turks. Michael
says that, “Plague and famine have taken their toll. We are doing them little favor to
save them from the Turk’s sword to crush them with our taxes.”
Yet Michael is back out reluctantly collecting taxes from the starting peasants. When
they have no money to give him, he sadly confiscates their livestock.
Margaretha comforting a distraught woman whose baby has died
from starvation. The next day when Michael pleads with to have
a word with her, she is angry over the plight of the peasants and
admonishes him for taking everything they have as she tries to
prevent them from starving to death. He then gets an earful from
her when she accuses him of being blind. When he asks her what
can he do about the situation, she says that he could bring her a
chicken for the gruel she serves. The sisters want taxes lowered so there will be less
grumbling among the peasants. There is fear that there will be a full scale revolt
[1]
.
Michael is very torn over what to do as he knows deep down that she is right.
His Grace is shows Michael a tract that the Printer is distributing -- it’s the work of
Radicals near Zurich. It says, “Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.”
When His Grace discredits the tract and the Anabaptists, or Radicals, Michael stats that
the tract is truth, not heresy. His Grace still claims it is dangerous.
Michael is summoned by Margaretha in the middle of the night to come quickly.
Hoffman’s henchmen taking the printing press out of the Printer’s home. They tie him to
it and burn him alive. Michael arrives on the scene but he is too late to save the Printer
who has been distributing the religious tracts. Michael confronts Hoffman who claims he
is only doing what he had to do -- that he is doing Michael’s work for him by stopping the
spread of heresy and treason.
Michael’s pleas fall on deaf ears when he tells Hoffman that the Printer was not guilty of
heresy -- that he was only telling the truth and trying to stay alive.
In the privacy of his room,
Michael studies the tract,
concentrating on the word “free.”
“...and the truth shall set you
free.”
Peasant’s War
[1] There was, in fact, a
peasant revolt in 1525
in the Alsace region of
France and Southwest
Germany. Information
can be found here at
Wikipedia.