Fritz, Joss

Died after 1524.

Fritz, a serf, organized several secret armed peasant alliances known as the Bundschuh. The Bundschuh was responsible for uprisings in southwestern Germany in 1502, 1513, and 1517. Although the alliances were discovered by the authorities, Fritz was able on each occasion, by moving from place to place, to unite the peasants again; he also tried to enlist townspeople, especially the urban lower classes, in the movement (seeBUNDSCHUH).