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A Timeline of the radical Anabaptist Kingdom in Münster, Westphalia, Germany.
1530 Bernt Rothmann, in Münster, begins advocating non-Catholic doctrine.
1531 Rothmann visits Wittenberg, then Strasbourg where he is a guest of Wolfgang
Capito. There he meets Caspar Schwenkfeld, Capito’s house guest.
Jan 7
1532 Bishop Franz von Waldeck outlaws Rothmann. Rothmann hides in the city and
produces a Lutheran-esque confession of faith.
Feb 18- 1532 Supported by Hermann Knipperdolling, Hermann Tilbeck and others, Rothmann
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is established at St. Lambert’s church, the priests being ousted. This party pushes
for a Lutheran established church for the city. The prince-bishop orders the
Council to muzzle Rothmann. They comply, but Rothmann disregards their
decree.
Jul 1
1532 Supported by Knipperdolling, a meeting of all the guilds decides in support of
Rothmann. They pressure the Council to protect and support Rothmann.
Jul 15
1532 The Council acquiesces to the pressures of the guilds.
Aug 10 1532 All churches except the cathedral are now in the hands of the evangelical party.
The prince-bishop initiates a blockade of Münster.
Aug
1532 Heinrich Roll comes to Münster from Wassenberg where he had been benefiting
from sanctuary from persecution that was provided by the leader there.
Wassenberg was tolerant of multiple reformation perspectives, though they tended
toward Zwinglian reform. Rothmann had some affinity with Zwinglian
interpretation of the Lord’s Supper. A synthetic Zwinglian-Anabaptist perspective
and a Lutheran perspective on reform later produce a fault line within the
evangelical party at Münster. Other Wassenberg preachers arrive through
February of 1533, taking positions in various churches of Münster.
Dec 25 1532 A wrongly interpreted meeting between the prince-bishop and his advisors at
Telgte prompts a pre-emptive action by a few hundred Münsterites. They capture
the advisors and take them back to Münster. The prince-bishop had already
departed.
Mar 3
1533 The Roman Catholic party is voted of the Council during regular elections.
Tensions increase within the evangelical party between Rothmann’s more
Zwinglian-Anabaptist camp and the Lutherans.
May
1533 Rothmann teaches against infant baptism. Melchiorites are taking notice of the
tolerance of Münster and the trends emerging in their reformation theology.
Summer 1533 Jan Bockelson (Jan van Leyden) makes a two-week visit to Münster and reports to
Jan Matthys in Haarlem regarding the toleration and trends in theology.
Aug 7-8 1533 A great debate is held on baptism and the Lord’s Supper among Rothmann’s
camp, the Lutherans and the Roman Catholics. Although Rothmann carries the
day regarding infant baptism, the Council, citing the existence of other weighty
reasons, orders the continuation of infant baptism.
Sep 7
1533 Hermann Staprede refuses to baptize an infant presented to him for baptism. This
actually strengthens the Lutheran camp as the Council reacts and banishes
Staprede.
Sep 17
1533 Rothmann’s camp voices their dissent in a letter to the Council.
Oct 3
1533 Rothmann offers the concessions that he will not address the two issues of
baptism and the Lord’s Supper in his sermons. He cannot help himself though,
preaching on baptism and publishing Confession of Both Sacraments. He is close to
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A Timeline of the radical Anabaptist Kingdom in Münster, Westphalia, Germany.
Nov 4
1533
Nov 6
1533
Dec
1533
Dec 11
Dec 14
1533
1533
Jan
Jan 5
1534
1534
Jan 13
1534
Jan 28
1534
Feb
1534
Feb 25
1534
Apr 5
1534
May
1534
May 25
1534
being a full-fledged Anabaptist, but not yet. His actions widen the breach between
the two non-Roman Catholic camps and thus strengthens the Roman Catholic
party.
The Council banishes Rothman and anyone who shares his views. Rothmann’s
opponents arm themselves in preparation to carry out the decree. Rothmann’s
supporters arm themselves to resist. Rumors crop up about seeking the assistance
of the prince-bishop and his forces. This swings the Lutherans back over to
consider reconciliation with Rothmann’s camp.
An agreement is reached with the Lutherans: Rothmann’s camp must leave;
Rothmann can stay but must refrain from preaching.
Philip of Hesse sends two Lutheran theologians (one of which is Fabricius). A
Lutheran agenda of reform is crafted.
Lutherans are in control of the churches.
Tensions flair between Rothmann and the Lutherans as still-present followers of
Rothmann preaching in the city.
Rothmann is ordered to leave the city.
Rothmann defies the order and preaches in the courtyard of St. Servatius church.
Popular support for Rothmann and his friends sparks the return of the banished
preachers (many of these are the Wassenbergers who had arrived earlier).
Rothmann’s camp regains control of all but St. Lambert, which stays in Lutheran
hands.
Rothmann’s party is now firmly on top.
Matthys sends two apostles to Münster proclaiming believers’ baptism and
Melchiorite teachings (Bartholomäus Boekebinder and Willem de Kuiper).
Rothmann and other preachers in his camp receive baptism. The apostles move
on after two days, but within eight days, 1400 people are baptized.
Bockelson and Gert tom Cloister arrive as two more apostles from Matthys to
labor alongside the preachers.
The prince-bishop begins to stir. Armed companies patrol the city. Shortly, the
prince-bishop collects an armed force near the city. Uproar – 500 armed followers
of Rothmann take the marketplace and city hall; their opponents take up a
position at the Church of Our Lady. Hermann Tilbeck, burgomaster, suppresses a
letter from the prince-bishop promising assistance to restore peace (presumably in
opposition to Rothmann, et. al.).
Tilbeck receives baptism. Matthys arrives. Roman Catholics and Lutherans flee.
Regular elections place the increasingly more radical Anabaptists firmly in control
of the Council, but Matthys emerges as the real leader of the city’s fate.
Matthys wants to order the death of the “godless,” but Knipperdolling succeeds in
arguing for banishment because of the backlash that would come from such an
action as Matthys wants. The “godless” are given until March 2 to get out.
Matthys takes his fateful stand against the prince-bishop’s besieging army.
Bockelson ascends to power in the wake of his death.
Bockelson pronounces his revelation that the Council be dissolved and a council
of twelve elders should rule.
An attack by the prince-bishop’s forces fails miserably.
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A Timeline of the radical Anabaptist Kingdom in Münster, Westphalia, Germany.
Jul 29
Aug 31
Sep
1534
1534
1534
Oct 13
1534
Oct –
Dec
Fall
1534
Dec
Easter
1534
1535
Jun 2425
1535
Jan 22
1536
1534
Bockelson institutes polygamy. Rothmann and others resist and debate him on
the issue for eight days, but Bockelson then pronounces that all resistance to the
policy is reprobate – a life-threatening condition.
Heinrich Molenhecke, in resistance to the polygamy policy, stages a failed coup.
The prince-bishop’s forces suffer another crushing defeat to an attack on the city.
Johann Dusentschuer, a goldsmith who has come to Münster, pronounces his
revelation that Bockelson be king.
Dusentschuer pronounces another revelation that apostles be sent out to spread
the news of the new kingdom. Twenty-seven apostles are sent out; most perish.
Rothmann writes Restitution and then writes On Revenge – propaganda in support of
the kingdom at Münster.
Famine becomes an abiding fact of life in Münster.
Hille Feyken undertakes a failed attempt to re-enact the Judith story.
The siege is bolstered by added support and aid from other concerned rulers.
Having failed in a promise of the city’s deliverance by Easter, Bockelson permits
starving refugees – old men, women, and children – to leave Münster. Most are
stuck in the no-man’s-land between the city and the siege force. Many are
executed.
Hans Eck and Heinrich Gresbeck have deserted Münster and given vital
intelligence to the prince-bishop’s siege force. The city is taken and a massacre
ensues. Bockelson, Knipperdolling and Bernard Krechting are captured.
The three captive leaders are tortured, executed and placed on display in iron cages
hung from St. Lambert’s church.