-[Henry VO] As it turns out, Christen Lauper was no ordinary farmer; he was involved in a seminal event in his nation's history.
In the early 1650s, Switzerland suffered a severe economic downturn.
Grain prices plummeted, and instead of helping the peasants pay their debts, the government devalued its currency, cutting the peasants' savings in half.
In response, the peasants began to organize a revolt.
Cyndi, who's devoted herself to an array of social causes, wondered how her ancestor responded.
In the Swiss state archives, we found our answer: Christen is listed among the rebels.
-That's amazing.
-According to scholars with whom we spoke, as a "general agitator and rebel," your seventh great-grandfather would have alerted his friends and neighbors about the movement, going from house to house in his village, and even organizing journeys to the local assemblies where the peasants shared their disapproval and plotted their next steps of action.
-Town hall meetings!
-[chuckles] You got it!
[laughter] -[Henry VO] The rebel movement spread quickly through several Swiss states -- called "cantons" -- including Bern, where Christen lived.
And as it grew, the movement intensified, armed militias were formed, a detailed agenda laid out.
-[Henry] "On May 14th, 1653, thousands of peasants from four different cantons gathered at a place called Huttwil to swear an oath against their government!"
-Come on, Huttwil!
-[Henry] Huttwil!
-That's good!
"Down in Huttwil!"
That just sounds like a party.
-Yeah, it does!
Cyndi, this was the very first time that Swiss authorities had ever faced joint action from peasants.
-[whispering] Wow.
-Coming together from multiple cantons -- states -- to demand political action and to demand their political rights.
-Wow!
-[Henry] And your ancestor was part of it!
-Wow!
-And days after Huttwill, peasant armies besieged Bern and Lucerne, hoping the authorities would give in to their demands, and by early June, the peasants and the two cities reached treaties.
-Wow, that is amazing!
-[Henry VO] Unfortunately, Swiss authorities soon went back on their word and resumed the war.
This time, the peasants were crushed, leaving Christen in dire jeopardy.
-He probably got arrested, poor thing.
-[Henry] Would you please read the translation?
-[Cyndi] "Christen Lauper from Allenwil..." -[Henry] Mm-hm.
-"His penalty shall be 15 kronen?"
-Yes, after the peasants' military defeats, the authorities clamped down on the rebels, they executed over 40 of the peasant ringleaders, and fined local leaders and participants, like your ancestor Christen.
So your ancestor took huge risks to create a better life for himself and his fellow citizens, and he paid the price for it.
That fine was about 70 days of wages.
-Oh... -So that's over two months of wages.
-Wow.
-[Henry VO] Though it failed, the revolt lived on in memory.
There are still monuments in Switzerland honoring the rebel cause today.
And learning this brought a sense of connection that took Cyndi by surprise.
-I feel proud to be a descendent of Christen Lauper.
-[Henry] [chuckles] -And that he was a revolutionary, and that he worked... local.
-[Henry] Mm-hm.
-State to state.
[chuckles] -[Henry] Yeah, he did.
-To get the people together.
-[Henry] Organized.
-And organized.
-[Henry] Yeah.
-I think that's amazing.
-Yeah, to fight the man.
-I know I'm always fighting the man.
Now I know where it comes from!
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