A period marked by uprisings

Especially during the 30 Years War, Upper Austria was the scene of much unrest, with the so-called Upper Austrian Peasants’ War taking place in 1626.

Following the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, at which the Protestant Estates were defeated, the predominantly Protestant Upper Austria was pledged to the Catholic Bavaria and the Counter-Reformation driven forward. When the Protestant population revolted against the fact that they were now being allocated Catholic priests, the uprising was put down, and the leaders were subjected to a gruesome punishment in the Frankenburg Dice Game of 1625. The peasant uprising broke out the following year.

It was led by the charismatic but, in terms of war strategy, inexperienced farmer Stefan Fadinger and his brother-in-law, the innkeeper Christoph Zeller. Under their leadership, the peasant army, comprising around 40,000 men, succeeded in gaining control over almost all of Upper Austria apart from Linz and Enns. During the siege of Linz, Stefan Fadinger was badly injured during a reconnaissance mission on 6th July 1626, passing away a few days later. Shortly afterwards, Zeller also fell, and advancing Bavarian and imperial troops were ultimately able to defeat the insurgents. Although he was only a prominent figure for a matter of weeks, myths soon grew up around the person of Stefan Fadinger, with songs and tales telling of his heroic deeds in the battle for religious freedom and equality. The stamp shows the peasant leader with a goblet taken from Lambach Abbey in his right hand. The painting in gouache on parchment is dated 1627 and comes from the holdings of the Castle Museum in Linz.

Graphic design: David Gruber
Value: 1,00 euros
Pre-issue day: 08.05.2026
First day of issue: 08.05.2026
First day: 4020 Linz
Stamp size: 33,30 x 40,00 mm
Perforation measurement: 12 x 12
Printing technique: Offset printing
Quantity: 210.000 stamps on sheets of 50 stamps
Order no: 226190