Michael Kohlhaas

The year is 1532, the place Brandenburg in Germany. At a fair the Elector of Saxony meets a fortuneteller who writes his future on a sheet of paper, encapsulates it in an amulet and throws it into the crowd: the Elector is appalled, but is unable to recover the amulet. A horse dealer called Michael Kohlhaas finds it and is told that he should keep it closed and in his possession until a day in the future when he may be in danger: The amulet will then save his life. A few days later Kohlhaas is forced to leave his two best horses as a deposit at a toll-bar of the corrupt Junker of Tronka. Back home, he finds out that the deposit was illegal and claims his horses back, only to find that they have suffered severely in the meantime and are close to death.Kohlhaas sues the Junker, but has no chance against the powerful and influential nobleman; his claim is dismissed and his wife is fatally injured when she tries to deliver a petition to the Elector.

Kohlhaas resorts to criminal means and begins a private war. He build an army and destroys the castle of the Junker, who in the meantime has fled to Wittenberg. In spite of numerous attacks of his army on Wittenberg he fails to secure the Junker. Through personal intervention of Martin Luther an amnesty is arranged, whereby the Elector of Saxony approves the suit against the Squire. But the Junker again activates his influential family and Kohlhaas is thrown into a dungeon in Brandenburg.

The Elector of Brandenburg manages to have Kohlhaas released, but in the meantime Saxony has informed the Kaiser in Vienna. Kohlhaas is sentenced to death. As Kohlhaas is led to execution, he’s informed through his lawyer that his suit against the Junker has been successful. Pleased that justice has been served, he submits willingly to the execution.