One of the apostles, Henry Graes, survived and returned to Munster. His survival was insured by his education, and by his willingness to betray Jan van Leyden and the city of Munster. Henry Graes left Munster, supposedly on an apostolic mission, on the second of January 1535. He reported the state of the city of Munster to the bishop. Food was dwindling, and there was not adequate fuel for heating. Graes' treason was revealed on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1535, when a letter from him was found nailed to the city gate. Further revolutions and reactions occurred over the following weeks.
The Bishop finally triumphed over the city of Munster and King Jan and made his entrance into the city on June 29, 1535. Jan van Leyden and Bernard Knipperdolling had been captured alive. Bernard Rothmann's fate is unknown. Many of the lesser officials of Munster were executed immediately. Most of the women of Munster were allowed to recant their faith and leave the city without their possessions.
Even today, three large iron cages hang over the town square of Munster as a harsh reminder of the events of 1534 and 1535. One of these cages held the body of Jan van Leyden following his execution, one held the body of Bernard Knipperdolling and the third held the remains of another high city official, Bernard Krechting. The bishop had publicly executed all three, first ripping their flesh with hot tongs and finally plunging a dagger into their hearts. Thus ended the Anabaptist kingdom of Munster.
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