MINERS’ UPRISINGS
Introduction
The rapid expansion of silver mining after 1516 brought thousands of miners from the Czech lands and from Saxony to Jáchymov. Rapid population growth, high operational costs of the mines, strict labour organisation and a complex system of shares and tithes all generated tensions. Conflicts arose not only between the miners and the ruling Schlik family, but also among miners themselves, smelting officials, overseers and the municipal administration. The result was a series of uprisings and strikes that significantly influenced the development of the town.
The First Strike of 1517
As early as 1517, the first miners’ strike was recorded. On St Margaret’s Day, the miners left the town and marched “like a flock of crows” to Buchholz in Saxony. Mining operations were halted, posing a serious threat. Even a short interruption could lead to the deterioration of a mine, flooding or collapse, and ultimately its closure. The Schlik family therefore immediately initiated negotiations in Ostrov. The outcome was an agreement and the issuance of the first Schlik Mining Code, regulating working and legal conditions in the mining district.
The Rebellion of 1523
Another uprising broke out in 1523. The miners again left the town and fortified themselves on the Great Turkish Hill. Once more, the conflict did not escalate into open military confrontation. It was resolved through negotiations, demonstrating the mutual dependence of both sides – the authorities required labour, while the miners demanded rights and stability.
The Great Uprising of 1525
The most significant uprising erupted in 1525. In scale and consequences, it surpassed all previous unrest and is regarded as one of the earliest recorded general strikes. The situation was influenced by the German Peasants’ War. Ideas of social reform and resistance against authority spread into mining centres as well. The peasant leader Thomas Müntzer had supporters among the miners and attempted to connect with the Hussite tradition.
The immediate trigger was the exposure of embezzlement by the Schlik tithe collector Peter Hartenberg, who allegedly misappropriated 30,000 guilders intended for the purchase of timber and other necessities for the mines. However, dissatisfaction ran deeper. The miners criticised the mining official Hirsch for appropriating temporarily abandoned mines, denounced fraud by smelting clerks, objected to the excessive level of tithes, the payment of wages in inferior coinage and the obligation to take meals with mining overseers.
The uprising broke out on 20 May 1525. Approximately 3,000 miners participated directly in Jáchymov, and support came from neighbouring mining districts, including Horní Slavkov. The miners gathered at the Bread Market, attacked the town hall and captured Mayor Thiksen, taking him into one of the mines. He was released only after the town council capitulated. The insurgents then occupied the town hall, destroying municipal documents, privileges and mining records. They proceeded to the residence of the mining captain Heinrich von Köneritz, demolishing furnishings and documents, and finally seized and plundered Freudenstein Castle.
Unlike earlier revolts, the miners did not leave the town but effectively occupied it. Residents were compelled to swear loyalty to the miners’ brotherhood. With the arrival of armed peasants from surrounding areas, the number of insurgents rose to an estimated 10,000.
Negotiations and Settlement
Count Schlik had only limited military forces at his disposal in Ostrov. A direct attack appeared futile. Negotiations became decisive, also driven by fears that unrest might spread to other mining districts. News of the crushing defeat of the peasants at Frankenhausen on 15 May 1525 weakened radical resolve.
The reconciliation talks lasted four days and were held in Ostrov. Representing the Schlik family were Jan Pluh of Rabštejn, Oppel Vitzthum, Jošt Tussel, parish priest of Falknov, and Rudolf of Bienau. The miners were represented by Magistrate Urban Osan, Anton Römheld of Annaberg, Hans Hausmann and Ulrich Grösgan of Freiberg. They presented seventeen articles containing grievances and demands. Among the most notable was the claim that miners wished to assert their rights directly rather than through lawyers. Some demands have not survived but likely concerned wages, working hours and care for sick miners.
On 23 May, a settlement was concluded. Prisoners were exchanged, amnesty was granted, and the miners were even paid wages for the duration of the uprising. Although the Schlik family reserved the right to punish those involved in plundering the castle, they ultimately refrained from doing so. Eighteen leaders publicly confessed their guilt and were subsequently pardoned.
Consequences of the Uprising
The uprising had far-reaching consequences. New municipal statutes regulated the powers of the mayor, judge and councillors, the hospital, almsgiving, municipal institutions and fire regulations. A new Mining Code was also issued. Indirectly, influenced in part by miners’ demands, Georg Sturtz, son of the mint master, opened a pharmacy in 1526 – the first such establishment in the territory of today’s Czech Republic.
The miners’ uprisings thus represent not only a dramatic chapter in the town’s history but also evidence of the advanced social organisation and collective capacity of miners at a time when comparable forms of protest were only beginning to emerge in Europe.
