Sale of indulgences, the debaucherous lifestyle of church dignitaries and violence against dissenters kept the population living in fear on the one hand; on the other hand it led to increasingly stronger criticism of these conditions.
Religion 1400 up to 1450
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The sale of indulgences, licentious conduct among senior clergy and violence keep the populace in check, but also provoke an upsurge in criticism of these practices. Kord Bonow, ecclesiastic patriarch in Stralsund, assembles a small band of brigands in 1407 to pillage the estates outside the city in an attempt to improve the finances of his church. The next day, burghers in Stralsund seize numerous priests, hauling them off to be burned at the stake. Several councillors intervene, so three priests are selected for execution by fire. The entire city was excommunicated in response.
