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1534 to 1535Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

Radical Anabaptists Seize Munster and Proclaim a New Jerusalem

A tailor crowns himself king, institutes polygamy, and dies in a bishop's siege

On the timeline · around 1534 to 1535 · Reformations MultiplyReformations MultiplyCounter-Reformation and Religious WarRadical Anabaptists Seize Munster and Proclaim a New Jerusalem1534153615401544

Quick facts

Location
Munster, Germany
Self-proclaimed king
Jan van Leiden
City recaptured
25 May 1535

What happened

Radical Anabaptists who believed Munster would be the site of Christ's Second Coming took over the city government by February 1534, with the guild leader Bernhard Knipperdolling and the Dutch preacher Jan van Leiden preaching in the streets. Jan van Leiden soon anointed himself king of a self-declared New Jerusalem and instituted polygamy along with communal property and summary executions of dissenters, a radical break even from mainstream Anabaptist practice elsewhere. The Catholic bishop of Munster, Franz von Waldeck, built a siege line around the city, and on 25 May 1535 his forces broke through and recaptured it. Jan van Leiden and Knipperdolling were captured, tortured, and put to death; when their bodies were finally gathered in the cathedral square, witnesses described the stench as overwhelming.

Why it matters

Munster became the defining nightmare scenario both Catholics and mainstream Protestants pointed to when justifying persecution of Anabaptists elsewhere in Europe, even though most Anabaptist communities were pacifist and had nothing to do with the Munster radicals' violence or polygamy. The episode hardened attitudes against religious radicalism generally for the rest of the century.

How we know

Contemporary accounts by besiegers and survivors, along with the city's own administrative records under Anabaptist rule, document the takeover and siege; the Christian History Institute's account of the episode draws on this documentary record for the dates, leadership, and fall of the city.

Sources

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