Cold Open

It’s April 5th, 1534, outside Münster, a German city in the Holy Roman Empire.

43-year-old Bishop Franz von Waldeck emerges from a tent into glorious sunshine. It’s Easter Sunday, and normally Bishop Waldeck would be preparing for the religious services that mark the most important festival in the Christian calendar. But this year, Bishop Waldeck isn’t at church—he’s leading an army.

Two months ago, a religious uprising occurred in the city of Münster. A radical sect known as “Anabaptists” took over the town and expelled anyone who refused to convert to their version of Christianity. This was unacceptable to Franz von Waldeck. He’s not only the local Catholic Bishop - he’s also the region’s ruler. So now, he’s come to Münster to return the city to what he views as the one true Christian faith—and he’s prepared to use force to do it.

He’s set up camp outside Münster and deployed his army to besiege the city. Now, as he watches on, the city gates begin to open. Bishop Waldeck praises God that the rebellious subjects of Münster have chosen this holy day to surrender.

But his celebrations are cut short when he sees a dozen horsemen gallop out of the gates. They have their weapons drawn—and they’re heading straight for the Bishop’s tent.

The Bishop’s soldiers rush to meet the threat, forming a defensive line. Guards plea to Bishop Waldeck to flee for safety. But he is not going to turn away from his enemy—especially when this small group of attackers is hopelessly outnumbered by hundreds of the Bishop’s pikemen. So instead, Bishop Waldeck stands with his soldiers waiting, expecting the oncoming riders to recognize the overwhelming odds and retreat.

Instead, they keep coming… until they clash with the Bishop’s well-organized line. It is a one-sided fight. The horses are brought down almost immediately, and the riders tumble from their saddles. The leader of the horsemen attempts to get to his feet, but he’s still on his knees when the Bishop’s soldiers knock him back down and hack him to death. Bishop Waldeck just shakes his head. It’s yet another senseless death resulting from the Münster Rebellion.

Only after this suicidal charge is over, does Bishop Franz von Waldeck discover that it was led by Jan Matthys himself, the man who launched the Münster uprising. He was convinced that God had endowed him with special powers and that his enemy’s weapons would bounce off his cloak. But this doomed charge would not mark the end of the religious revolution in Münster. Another year will pass before Bishop Waldeck's troops finally capture the town from the rebels and put a bloody end to their revolt on June 24th, 1535.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is June 24th, 1535: The End of the Münster Rebellion.

Act One

It’s January 1525, in Dorpat, a city in the Holy Roman Empire, nine years before Jan Matthys's suicidal charge outside Münster.

30-year-old Melchior Hoffman grabs a large stone and tosses it from hand to hand as he looks up at his target: a stained-glass window in Dorpat's 200-year-old cathedral. Melchior leans back, cocks his arm, and throws the stone as hard as he can. He’s rewarded by the sound of smashing glass. As Melchior admires his throw, a mob of followers behind him surge toward the doors of the cathedral.

Seven years ago, the German monk Martin Luther published a list of 95 grievances against the Catholic Church. Luther’s protest was small - but it sparked something huge, a seismic change in Christianity known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther soon won thousands of followers, who rejected what they saw as the old-fashioned and corrupt traditions of the Catholic Church. Instead, they practiced their own austere version of Christianity, with an emphasis on Biblical teaching and personal faith. This soon became known as Lutheranism.

Melchior was brought up in southwest Germany as a Catholic, but he was a young man when the Reformation began and was soon attracted to Lutheranism. Melchior became a wandering lay preacher, traveling far and wide to spread Luther’s ideas to new regions of Europe.

Now, here in Dorpat, Melchior has whipped his followers into an angry frenzy. Breaking the stained-glass window is his signal for them to begin the destruction of the rest of the cathedral’s ornate decorations.

And when Melchior and the mob have finished, the cathedral is almost unrecognizable. Windows are smashed. Statues broken. Holy relics have been stolen and dumped into a nearby river. Although many of Dorpat's citizens have tears in their eyes at the destruction, Melchior is convinced that he’s doing God’s work. Thanks to him, the people of this city now have a greater chance of salvation.

Over the next five years, Melchior continues his nomadic life, traveling widely across Sweden and Germany preaching fiery sermons that urge people to follow the teachings of Martin Luther. But Lutheranism is not a united church. And as the years pass, several groups splinter off from Luther’s teaching and establish new doctrines and beliefs. Soon, there are dozens of different protestant branches of Christianity—and it is one of these new congregations that sparks a crisis of faith in Melchior.

The Anabaptists are a group of pacifists who argue that infants cannot consciously accept the Christian faith and renounce sin, so their baptism is essentially meaningless. Only adults can truly be baptized. Melchior studies with the Anabaptist community in Strasbourg and becomes convinced that they are right. Ashamed of the violence of his past, in 1530, he asks to be re-baptized in an Anabaptist ceremony.

As the holy water streams down Melchior's face, he’s convinced that he’s experiencing a profound transformation. But he hasn’t finished his spiritual journey yet.

After his re-baptism, Melchior's opinion shifts again—and takes on an even more radical turn. He declares he’s had a vision that the end of the world is at hand and he thinks that the city of Strasbourg will arise as a New Jerusalem—a holy city that will be home to righteous Christians after the Apocalypse.

Some Anabaptists are taken in by Melchior's visions, and one young bakery worker is so convinced that he gives up his trade to join the preacher on the road. Jan Matthys is soon Melchior's most fervent disciple and follows him to Amsterdam, where the pair baptize 300 people into the Anabaptist faith.

But when Melchior and Matthys return to Strasbourg in 1533, Melchior's radical prophecies draw the disapproval of authorities in the city. They order Melchior's arrest for heresy, and when he refuses to recant his radical prophecies, he’s thrown into prison.

But Melchior has begun something that even he cannot control anymore. While Melchior languishes behind bars, his position as leader of the radical Anabaptist sect is taken by his deputy, Jan Matthys, who reassures Melchior's followers that he too has divine knowledge of the coming apocalypse.

But Matthys’ vision will differ from Melchior’s. First, Matthys will preach that Melchior is mistaken about the location of New Jerusalem. It’s not going to be in Strasbourg. Instead, it will arise in the city of Münster. And there’s another Anabaptist teaching that Matthys will cast off. He’ll argue that true believers should not reject violence. And in fact, the day will soon come when, according to Matthys, true believers will have to fight.

Act Two

It’s January 5th, 1534, in Münster, a few months after the arrest of Melchior Hoffman.

Bernard Knipperdolling stands by the city gates as hundreds of men carrying weapons march into Münster. The arrival of an armed band has brought many curious citizens into the streets to watch. But Bernard is here in an official capacity. As mayor of Münster, he is formally welcoming Jan Matthys and his Anabaptist followers into the city.

Like the rest of Europe, Münster has been rocked by the Protestant Reformation. The city is in the lands ruled by Catholic Bishop Franz von Waldeck. But two years ago, Bernard was among an influential group of Münster residents who gave up the old faith. They began preaching a radical form of Lutheranism—and many of their ideas were similar to those adopted by Melchior Hoffman in Strasbourg. Bishop Waldeck and Mayor Bernard agreed to an uneasy truce in which Catholics and Protestants let each other be. But with the arrival of self-proclaimed prophet Jan Matthys, that truce is about to be shattered.

Bernard welcomes Matthys as he dismounts from his horse. The city council is summoned and Matthys addresses them, declaring his intention to convert all of Münster to the Anabaptist faith. His words fall on enthusiastic ears. And over the next few days, Matthys carries out over 1,000 re-baptisms in the city—and Mayor Bernard is among them.

But then Matthys goes further than any radical Protestant has dared before. He doesn’t just have his followers raid Catholic churches and destroy holy relics. Matthys proclaims that Münster is now ruled by him. And it is time to cleanse the city in preparation for its future as the New Jerusalem.

Shortly afterward, Matthys announces the compulsory re-baptism of all adults. Those who refuse will be put to death. This news causes widespread panic in the city. Many in Münster are still Catholic, others are Lutherans who feel that the changes introduced in the Reformation have gone far enough. So, Mayor Bernard steps in to calm the situation. Negotiating with Matthys, he secures seven days for non-Anabaptists to leave Münster before the baptism edict goes into effect.

Hundreds flee the city and news of the expulsions soon reaches the ears of the local Bishop, Franz von Waldeck. He’s furious that the city has defied him and broken their fragile stalemate between Catholics and Protestants. So, he raises an army with the intention of removing the radicals from Münster by force. But when he marches on the city with an army at his back, the Anabaptist leaders there do not recognize the Bishop’s authority and refuse him entry. They close the gates, forcing Bishop Waldeck to lay siege to his own city.

Behind the walls of Münster, the radicalism of its new Anabaptist leadership only grows. The charismatic Matthys declares that the rest of the world will soon be destroyed by God. And only Münster and the true believers within will be spared. He then decrees that from now on, money is to be outlawed in the city, and all private property - even food - is to be shared communally. The townspeople must address each other as “brother” and “sister”, all books except the Bible are banned, and anyone who speaks out against new laws is to be publicly executed.

For two months, this social revolution continues, unseen, behind the sealed gates of the city. But then at the beginning of April 1534, Matthys has another vision. He receives what he describes as a divine command to lead a small group of mounted warriors out of the city, where they will win a glorious victory despite overwhelming odds. He’s wrong. The Bishop’s army camped outside the walls makes short work of Matthys’ attack and he himself is killed, his head displayed on a pole outside the city walls, with his genitals nailed to the city gate.

But the death of Matthys doesn’t bring an end to the Münster rebellion. Matthys is succeeded by one of his followers, 25-year-old Jan van Leiden.

Under Jan’s leadership, the radical authoritarianism of Anabaptist rule in the city only accelerates. A new constitution is implemented, giving Jan and his chosen disciples absolute power over life and death. Polygamy is made compulsory, and Jan himself takes full advantage of the new rule by taking sixteen wives. Then, in September 1534, five months after Matthys death, Jan van Leiden proclaims himself King of Münster.

But by now the people of the city are beginning to starve - and questioning their new king. Ordinary citizens are not allowed money or property. Jan and his court, though, live in luxury. And as murmurs of dissent grow, Jan only tightens his grip. Any sign of resistance is ruthlessly stamped out. By June 1535, public executions are a near-daily event. But soon the King of Münster Jan Van Leiden will become so distracted by the enemies he imagines inside the city, that he will forget the more dangerous one camped outside the gates.

Act Three

It’s 11 PM on June 24th, 1535, in Münster, fourteen months after a radical uprising began in the city.

Just inside the city walls, a soldier in Bishop Franz von Waldeck's army creeps through the darkness toward the main gates. He moves as slowly as possible, alert for any sign that he’s been spotted. But the only sound in the still night is the occasional call of an owl.

One month ago, Bishop Franz von Waldeck had an unexpected visitor—a deserter from Münster who knew of a secret route into the city. Armed with knowledge of their enemy’s weak spot, the Bishop’s generals came up with a plan of attack. Tonight, the soldier is part of an advanced group that’s just crept through the secret doorway. Now they’re inside, they must open the main gate to allow the rest of the Bishop’s army in.

As the soldier nears the gate, he hears heavy breathing and freezes. It’s a sentry, leaning against the wall, but fast asleep. With one swift push of his sword, the soldier ensures that this guard will never wake up again.

And soon thanks to the deserter’s insider knowledge, the Bishop’s men catch the other guards on duty by surprise as well. Then they open the main city' gates and four thousand of the Bishop’s soldiers stream into Münster.

Instantly the siege is over - and Bishop Waldeck has no intention of showing mercy. His soldiers butcher almost every man in the city as they brutally re-establish Catholic control. But a special punishment is reserved for Münster's self-proclaimed king, Jan van Leiden. Alongside two other prominent Anabaptist leaders, Jan is publicly tortured and then executed. Their bodies are placed in metal cages and hung from Münster's most prominent church steeple as a gruesome warning for all other nonbelievers and heretics.

The deterrent seems to work. The Catholic Church will retain sovereignty over the city of Münster for nearly 300 years. And never again will the Anabaptists be allowed to threaten social order in Europe - they will be hunted and oppressed by Catholic and Protestant rulers alike.

Today, the cages that once held the Anabaptist rebel's corpses still hang from the church tower. Although the bodies inside have long disappeared, there remains a grisly reminder of the city’s rebellion and the bloody retribution that followed the fall of Münster on June 24th, 1535.

Outro

Next on History Daily. June 25th, 1950. North Korean troops cross the 38th parallel, beginning the Korean War.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Matthew Filler.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves.

Edited by Dorian Merina.

Managing producer, Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.