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The Anabaptist Community of Munster: An Introduction

© Michelle Powell-Smith

Radical thought and sentiment occasionally bring about radical activity. This is what occurred in the city of Munster, Germany in the province of Westphalia in 1534 and 1535. In early 1534, the Anabaptists succeeded in gaining control of the city of Munster. Their reign was bloody, as was their end.

Women played, in the early months of the Anabaptist community, an integral role in daily life. As the year moved on, however, women began to lose their rights and responsibilities within the community. The status of women was first impacted by the directive to marry and bear children, and later by the introduction of polygamy by Jan van Leyden. This paper shall focus on the role of women in the Anabaptist community of Munster, first as it existed under Jan Matthias, and later under Jan van Leyden.

The Anabaptist reign over Munster began in early 1534. During the course of 1533, Anabaptists poured into the city in thousands. By 1534, they had gained control over the elected city council and quickly expelled all unbelievers from the city. The struggle for power between the Anabaptists in Munster and the Prince-Bishop of Westphalia would continue throughout all of 1534 and 1535, finally ending in early 1536 with the execution of Jan van Leyden and other high ranking members of the Anabaptist ruling class. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the saga of Munster is the length of time the city held out under the siege by the Prince-Bishop. Munster was a well-fortified city with substantial resources, including breweries and gardens, inside the city walls, thus enabling the city to withstand the siege for nearly two full years.

The Anabaptist control of the city officially began on February 8, 1534. During the course of this night, an Anabaptist mob surrounded Bernard Rothmann, a young preacher. Rothmann preached a message of repentance in the last days before the second coming. Rothmann's message spoke not only to the men of the town, but specifically to the women of a local convent. He told the nuns that it was their holy duty to "go forth and multiply."

The sixteenth-century Anabaptists were an apocalyptic sect. They believed that the Last Judgment was imminent and their daily lives reflected this. This belief may account for the persistence and courage demonstrated by the Anabaptist community in the face of such adversity. They clearly believed that martyrdom for their faith was a far better option than surrender to "heretical" Lutheran and Catholic beliefs.

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