I love it that we’re entering into the 500-year anniversaries of the events that play into my novels.  This stamp was issued to commemorate the Poor Conrad Rebellion of 1514. The rebels adopted the term “Poor Conrad” which was used by the nobility to mock them, meaning “poor fellow” or “poor devil.” The battle flag of the rebels depicted a farmer lying in front of a cross. But the revolt fell apart as the approaching well-armed ducal troops made more and more insurgents desert. Finally the Poor Conrad rebellion collapsed quietly. Ducal troops dragged the remaining 1,700 rebels to Schorndorf, where they were tortured, imprisoned and their commanders beheaded. A happy topic for conversation at Katharina’s wedding feast.