Hille Feyken: Judith Reborn
One of the more notable instances of this is the story of Hille Feyken, a young Dutch girl living in Munster. Hille was inspired by the Old Testament story of Judith and Holofernes, and with Jan van Leyden's approval, set out on a mission to kill the bishop, Franz von Waldeck. While relatively little is known about Hille with certainty, she may have been married to a man she identified as "Psalmus." Several scholars have suggested that "Psalmus" was actually Peter Simons, possibly the brother of the pacifist Menno Simons. Peter Simons was one of the twelve governing Elders of the city of Munster. Unlike Judith and her sword, Hille planned to kill the bishop with a poisoned shirt. Hille's plan was revealed by Herman Ramert, a citizen of Munster as he fled the city. Hille was tortured on the rack, and finally executed for her attempt on the bishop's life; however, the records of her interrogation provide a fascinating glimpse into the life of a woman in Munster during the Anabaptist reign.
Divara of Haarlem
Divara was first the young wife of Jan Matthijs, who journeyed with him to Munster, and later she became the primary wife of Jan van Leyden. She is described as being of medium height, an age somewhat past twenty, and quite obese. She held little power as Queen in Munster, and was, essentially, a figurehead. She provided, as the widow of Jan Matthijs, some legitimacy to Jan van Leyden's claim for power in Munster. Like all women in Munster, total obedience was expected of her, and she was, apparently, an ideal figurehead and representative of female behavior. That said, Divara was not necessarily the ideal example of a pious Christian. She actively participated in the revelries of the court and apparently enjoyed the luxuries of life in the court and the status she held as "first wife". She had a retinue of servants and of the wives, she was the only one to sit beside Jan van Leyden at state occasions. She ruled over the other fifteen wives. Divara refused to renounce her faith and was one of the few women executed when Munster fell. Only in death did she precede her husband.
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