Reformation des Kaisers Sigmund, Die

(The Reformation of Emperor Sigismund), an anonymous political pamphlet that appeared in Germany in the late 1430’s. It was named after Sigismund I, Holy Roman Emperor from 1410 to 1437. The pamphlet, which advanced a proposal for state reform in Germany and expressed the interests of the advanced strata of the burgher class, aimed to ensure state unity on a democratic basis. Large cities were assigned a major political role within the state’s structure. The pamphlet’s author favored the abolition of serfdom, the elimination of burdensome feudal obligations, and the implementation of such church reforms as a decrease in the number and income of the clergy and limitation of the church’s role. The Reformation was very popular among democratic circles in Germany during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.