Hans Böhm

Hans Böhm[a] (died July 19, 1476), also known as the Drummer of Niklashausen, was born in the village of Helmstadt in the south-central region of Germany known as Franconia.

The ritual served as a public demonstration in which people threw their possessions or vanities into a communal bonfire to signify their dependency on God and adherence to the cult of poverty.

Thus, when in short order tens of thousands of peasants from all over Germany converged on Niklashausen to hear the "Drummer Boy" speak, the authorities sensed a real and imminent threat.

The resulting peasant revolt began in early May 1476 and culminated with Böhm's heresy trial and his execution, on July 19, that year.

Böhm's story represents the dissatisfaction and resentment of peasants for their physical conditions and demonstrates the only avenue through which they could voice their frustrations: through restructuring religious or spiritual paradigms.