Das Niklashausen-Spiel des Thomas Ruscher (1476)

Abstract

Abstract In 1476, the minstrel Hans Behem triggers an unauthorised Marian pilgrimage to the village of Niklashausen (Tauber Valley). The bishop of Würzburg brutally suppresses the movement and executes Behem as a heretic. In the same year, Thomas Ruscher (d. 1510), a student of theology at Heidelberg, treats the matter in the form of a Latin drama. The text is influenced by the medieval tradition of the spiritual play (ludus), but also reactivates elements of the ancient tragedy. The article presents a critical edition of the Latin text, a German translation and a typological analysis.