Kirchenakte1534-1536 · 2 years
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Münster 1534 to 1536: Bishop Francis of Waldeck besieges the city held by Anabaptists; the leaders are tortured, executed and hung in iron cages from the tower of St Lambert's
In 1534 Anabaptists under Jan Matthys and John of Leiden took power in Münster and, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, introduced community of goods and polygamy. The expelled bishop and territorial lord Francis of Waldeck besieged the city, which fell on 24 June 1535. The leaders were imprisoned and tortured for six months and executed in January 1536. Their bodies were hung in iron cages from the tower of St Lambert's church.
- Period
- 1534-1536 (2 years)
- Country
- Germany
- Institutions
- Prince-Bishopric of Münster
- Category
- Torture, Heresy trials, Persecution
- Level of evidence
- B two independent scholarly sources · what does this mean?
- Persons
- Francis of Waldeck (Bishop and territorial lord of Münster)
John of Leiden (leader of the Anabaptists, executed in 1536)
What happened to the people
Who was affected? Victims and numbers
- The besiegers took the city on 24 June 1535. John of Leiden, Knipperdollinck and Krechting were seized, tortured for six months and, according to the Britannica, executed in the market-place in January 1536.
Evidence: Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II
„were seized, and after six months' imprisonment and torture, executed“
Anabaptists, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II. Original Evidence: Cambridge University Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists
„in January 1536 Bockholdt and some of his more prominent followers, after being cruelly tortured, were executed in the market-place“
Anabaptists, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists. Original
What happened to those affected?
- As a warning the bodies were suspended in iron cages from the tower of St Lambert's church.
Evidence: Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II
„As a terrible warning, their bodies were suspended in iron cages from the tower of St. Lambert's church.“
Anabaptists, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II. Original
Background
Course of events
- The Anabaptists gained influence in Münster and took the city. Francis of Waldeck, the expelled bishop and temporal lord of the city, began the siege in 1534. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, community of goods and polygamy were introduced and John of Leiden took sixteen wives.
Evidence: Cambridge University Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists
„The town being besieged by Francis of Waldeck, its expelled bishop (April 1534)“
Anabaptists, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists. Original Evidence: Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II
„when Francis of Waldeck, Bishop and temporal lord of the city, had already begun its siege (1534)“
Anabaptists, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II. Original Evidence: Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource), Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II
„Rothmann took unto himself four wives and John of Leyden, sixteen.“
Anabaptists, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 1, Artikel Anabaptists, Abschnitt II. Original
Scholarly literature and reference works
- Reference work
Cambridge University Press (Wikisource): Anabaptists, in: Encyclopædia Britannica (1911), Bd. 1, 1 January 1911. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026) - Reference work
Robert Appleton Company / The Encyclopedia Press (Wikisource): Anabaptists, in: Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Bd. 1, 1 January 1907. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
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Last changed on 31 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.