1 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 23 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 2 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. 3 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.