Jan Matthys (also known as Jan Matthias, Johann Mathyszoon, et al.) was a charismatic Anabaptist leader, regarded by his followers as a prophet. Anabaptists (re-baptizers, from Greek ana and baptizo; in German: Wiedertäufer) are Christians of the so-called radical wing of the Protestant Reformation. ...

Matthys was a baker in Amsterdam, and was converted to Anabaptism through the ministry of Melchior Hoffman in the 1520s. Matthys baptized thousands of converts, and after Hoffman's imprisonment, rose to prominent leadership among the Anabaptists. Matthys rejected the pacifism and non-violence theology of Hoffman, adopting a view that oppression must be met with resistance. Amsterdam Location Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 739. ... Melchior Hoffman (1495-1543) was an Anabaptist prophet and a visionary leader in northern Germany and the Netherlands. ... Centuries: 15th century - 16th century - 17th century Decades: 1470s 1480s 1490s 1500s 1510s - 1520s - 1530s 1540s 1550s 1560s 1570s Years: 1520 1521 1522 1523 1524 1525 1526 1527 1528 1529 Events and Trends Fall of Tenochtitlán and conquest of Spanish. ...

In 1534, Anabaptists took control of the German town of Münster. John of Leiden, a Dutch Anabaptist disciple of Matthys, and a group of local merchants, summoned Jan Matthys to come. Matthys identified Münster as the "New Jerusalem", and on January 5, 1534, a number of his disciples entered the city and introduced adult baptism. Reformer Bernhard Rothmann apparently accepted "rebaptism" that day, and well over 1000 adults were soon baptized. Events May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... Münster is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... John of Leiden (Dutch: Jan van Leiden or Jan Beukelszoon, aka John Bockold) (1509? - 1536) was an Anabaptist leader from the Dutch city of Leiden. ... January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... Bernhard Rothmann, or Bernard Rothmann, (ca. ...

They declared war on Franz von Waldeck, its expelled bishop, who in turn besieged their fortified town. In April 1534 on Easter Sunday, Matthys, who had prophesied God's judgment to come on the wicked on that day, made a sally forth with thirty followers, under the idea that he was a second Gideon, and was cut off with his entire band. He was killed, his head severed and placed on a pole for all in the city to see. Franz von Waldeck (or Francis of Waldeck) was Prince-Bishop of Münster, and a leading figure in putting down the Münster Rebellion. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ...

See also

• Münster Rebellion