It's April fifth, 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 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 Valdek. 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 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 Valdek 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. Bishop soldiers rush to meet the threat, forming a defense of line. Guards bleed for Bishop Valdek to flee to safety, but he's not going to turn away from his enemy, especially when this small group of attackers is hopelessly outnumbered by the hundreds of the bishops's pipemen. So instead, Bishop Valdek 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 horse attempts to get to his feet, but he's still on his knees when the bishop soldiers knock him back down and hack him to death. Bishop Valdek 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 Matthias 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 Valdek's troops finally capture the town from the rebels and put a bloody end to their revolt on June 24th, 1535.

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From Noiser and Ayrship, 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. It's January January 1525 in Darpot, a city in the Holy Roman Empire, nine years before Jan Matthias's suicidal charge outside Münster. 30-year-old Melchior Hoffmann grabs a large stone and tosses it from hand to hand as he looks up at his target, a stained glass window in Darpot's 200-year-old cathedral. Melchior leans back, cocks his arm, and throws the stone as hard as he can. He is rewarded by the sound of smashing glass. As Melchior admires his throw, a mob of followers behind him surged 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 Lutherism. Melchiar 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. Melchiar became a wandering lay preacher, traveling far and wide to spread Luther's ideas to new regions of Europe. Now, here in Darpot, Melchiar 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 decoration. And when Melchiar 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 Dorpot's citizens have tears in their eyes at the destruction, Melchior is convinced that he is doing God's work. And 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. 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 Melchiar. The Anabaptists are a group 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 asked to be rebaptized in an Anabaptist ceremony. As the Holy Water streams down Melchiar'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, Melchiar's opinion shifts again and take 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 Melchiar's visions, and one young bakery worker is so convinced that he gives up his trade to join the preacher on the road.

Yahn Matthias is soon Melchiar's most fervent disciple and follows him to Amsterdam, where the pair baptize 300 people into the Anabaptist faith. But when Melchiar and Matthias return to Strasbourg in 1533, Melchiar's radical professes draw the disapproval of authorities in the city. They order Melchiar's arrest for heresy, and when he refuses to recant his radical professes, he's thrown into prison. But Melchiar has begun something that even he cannot control anymore. While Melchiar languishes behind bars, his position as leader of the radical Anabaptist sect is taken by his deputy, Yahn Matias, who reassures Melchiar's followers that he, too, has divine knowledge of the coming Apocalypse. But Matthias' vision will differ from Melchiar's. First, Matthias will preach that Melchiar 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 Matthias will cast off. He'll argue that true believers should not reject violence. And in fact, the day will soon come when, according to Matthias, true believers will have to fight.

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It's January fifth, 1534 in Münster, a few months after the arrest of Melchior Hoffmann. Bernard Nipperdaling stands by the city gates as hundreds of men carrying weapons march into Münster. The arrival of armed men has brought many curious citizens into the streets to watch. But Bernard is here in an official capacity. As mayor of Münster, he is formerly welcoming Jan Matthias 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 Hoffmann 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 Yahn Matthias, that truce is about to be shattered. Bernard welcomes Matthias as he dismounts from his horse. The city council is summoned, and Matthias addresses them, declaring his intention to convert all of Münster to the Anabaptist faith.

His words fall on enthusiastic ears. Over the next few days, Matthias carries out over 1,000 re-baptisms in the city, and Mayor Bernard is among them. But then Matthias goes further than any radical Protestant has dared before. He doesn't just have his followers raid Catholic churches and destroy holy relics. Matthias 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 afterwards, Matthias announces the compulsory rebaptism of all adults. Those who refuse will be put to death. This news causes widespread panic in the city. Many of 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 Matthias, 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 expulsion soon reaches the ears of the local bishop Franz von Waldack. He's furious that the city has defied him and broken their fragile stalemate between Catholic and Protestant. 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 Valdek to lay siege to his own city. Behind the walls of Münster, the radicalism of its new Anabaptist leadership only grows. The charismatic Matthias 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, Matthias 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 is wrong. The bishop's army camped outside the walls makes short work of Matthias's 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 Matthias does not bring an end to the Münster Rebellion. Matthias is succeeded by one of his followers, 25-year-old Jan von 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 16 wives. Then in September 1534, five months after Matthias' death, Jan von 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 von 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.

Hello, I'm Alice Levine. And I'm Matt Ford, and we're the hosts of WNDYR's podcast, British Scandal. Where we tell you outrageous tales of how the mighty have fallen on these pleasant pastures. In our latest series, we're donning the tennis Whites and downing the Pims for a Wimbledon-themed scandal. Yes, we're telling the story of Boris Becker, how he went from being a tennis child star Wimbledon champion to having a one-night stand in a London bar that turned into a headline-grabbing paternity row. And then tax evasion that saw him behind bars just a couple of miles from Wimbledon Center Court. So if you need something just a little juicier than the current rolling coverage of aces and juices and people queuing for things, then this might just be for you. To find out the full story, follow British Scandal wherever you listen to podcasts or listen early and add free on WNDYRY Plus on Apple Podcasts or the WNDYRY app. Payton, it's happening. We're finally being recognized for being very online. It's about damn time. I mean, it's hard work being this opinionated. And correct. You're such a Leo. All the time. If you're looking for a home for your worst opinions.

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It's 11:00 PM on June 24th, 1535 in Münster, 14 months after a radical uprising began in the city. Just in Inside the city walls, a soldier in Bishop Franz von Waldegg'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 Waldek had an unexpected visitor, a deserter from Münster, who knew of a secret route into the city. Arms 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 century 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 deserters' inside knowledge, the bishop's men catch the other guards on duty by surprise as well.

Then they open the main city's gates and 4,000 of the bishop's soldiers stream in the Münster. Instantly, the siege is over and Bishop Valdek has no intention of showing mercy. His soldiers butcher almost every man in the city as they brutally reestablish establish Catholic control. But a special punishment is reserved for Münster's self-proclaimed King, Jan von 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, they remain a grizzly reminder of the city's rebellion and the bloody retribution that followed the fall of Münster on June 24th, 1535. Next on History Daily, June 25th, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel, beginning the Korean War.

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