VI.— A A A
fied with his subordinate position as preacher of St. ]\Iary's, succeeded in being appointed to the church of St. Catharine. Here, in connection with a master of arts. Loner, he excited the people against a priest of Marienthal, Nicholas Hofer, who had openly attacked him. Hofer was obliged to seek safety in flight, De- cember, 1520. Being called to account by the official of the bishop, Miinzer denounced the official in the pul- pit, summoning him to appear at Zwickau (January 13, 1521). In spite of the admonitions of his friends, and in simple trust to the support of the lower classes, Miin- zer now cast off all restraint. He caused libels against Egranus to be posted up at the doors of the churches, and was therefore dismissed by the civil authorities after they had inquired into the whole affair. He remained in town nevertheless, and caused a rising of the weav- ers. The authorities were obliged to take vigorous measures ; fifty-five of the ringleaders were apprehend- ed, and a large number of the others hurriedly left the town, Miinzer among them. Peace was now restored in the city, the more readily as the authorities, follow- ing Luther's advice, appointed Nicholas Hausmann, previously pastor of Schneeberg, as pastor of St. Mary's church. Still Storch and his followers stayed at Zwick- au, and remained undisturbed until Christmas, 1521, when the zealous Hausmann caused them to be exiled from the city. Their subsequent career, under the name of " x'rophets of Zwickau," in Wittenberg, is well known (on IMiinzer's stay at Zwickau, see Laurentius Wilhelra, Descriptio urhis Cygnete [published by To- bias Schmidt, Zwickau, 1633], p. 90, 215, 217). Miinzer left Zwickau in April, 1521, in company with Marcus Thomii, and travelled for a while through Central Ger- many (see Seidemann, Thomas Miinzer, p. 122). His former career had given him some reputation, and the dissatisfied portion of the population everywhere rallied around him. In September, 1521, we find him at Saatz, where he met a large number of Moravians. The works of Luther were by that time known in Bohemia, and had awakened ardent sympathies. Miinzer ^vas warm- ly received, and in November, 1521, he openly published at Prague a proclamation to the Bohemians (printed in the Anabaptisticinii et enthusiasticum Pantheon, 1702, and with additions in Seidemann, p. 122). This proc- lamation affords an early glimpse of the doctrines which INIiinzer subsequently unfolded in his publications. But Prague was not a suitable field for such attempts at a radical reform, and Miinzer was exiled. In the early part of 1522 he went to Wittenberg, where, under the influence of Carlstadt and the prophets of Zwickau, a complete subversion of all existing ecclesiastical relations was daily progressing (see Salig, Histnrie d. Aur/sbur- gischen Confession, iii, 1099). Although connected with Melancthon and Bugenhagen, Mlinzer's feelings inclined him more towards Carlstadt's views. When Luther came to Wittenberg, Miinzer felt that his labors would not be longer profitable there, and left. He appears to have soon after gone to Nordhausen, and in 1523 was married and succeeded in being appointed pastor of Al- stedt, in Thuringia. The community at that place ap- pears to have been entirely devoted to Miinzer, as wa» also his colleague, Simon Haseritz (on the latter, see Hagen, Beutschlatid's litterar. u. relig. Verf. ini Refor- mationszeitalter, 1844, iii, 114), and he conducted worship according to his own views. A work which he pub- lished on the subject at that time still shows some mod- eration {Ordnung u. herechunge des Teutschen ampfs zu A Istadt durch Tomam Miintzer, etc., 1523). He retained the practice of infant baptism, with some ceremonies not commanded in Scripture. Soon after, however, he advanced further in his liturgical changes (in the Deutsch-Evangelisch Messje, Alstedt, 1524, and Deutzsch Kii-chenampt, etc., Alstedt). He was the first preacher to substitute the German language for the Latin in the public prayers and singing, and composed a directory for worship which was in harmony with his ideas of the Reformation. The quiet duties of a pastor not sat-
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isfying MUnzer, and being desirous to contest with Lu- ther the leadership in the rcformatorj' movement, MUn- zer determined to use all means to destroy the latter's influence; but his conduct displeased the princes who favored the Reformation under Luther, and finally, at the request of Frederick of Saxony and John of Weimar, Miinzer was obliged to leave Alstcdt in 1524. He now went successiveh' to Nuremberg, SchaflFliausen, and finally to Mlihlliausen in Thuringia. In the latter place he acquired great influence over the people, wliicli he hesitated not to use for his own purposes. He had adopted mystical views, and declaiming against what he called the " servile, liberal, and half" measures of the Reformers, required a radical reformation both in Church and State, according to his " inward light." He resolved on recourse to violent means, and his cry became, " We must exterminate with the sword, like Joshua, the Ca- naanitish nations." He caused the authorities of this place to be superseded, the convents and richest houses of the city to be plundered, and communism to be pro- claimed. " Miinzer," Luther wrote to Amsdorff, April 11, 1525, " JIUnzer is king, and emperor of Miihlhausen, and no longer is pastor." The lowest classes ceased to work. If any one wanted a piece of cloth or a supply of corn, he asked his richer neighbor; if the latter re- fused, the penalty was hanging. Miihlhausen being at that time a free town, MUnzer exercised his power unmolested. He was, moreover, encouraged in his course by being joined about this same time bj' another band of fanatics under Pfeiffer. This, and the rumor that fort}- thousand peasants were arming in Franconia, decided Miinzer to go still further and make himself master of the situation by an appeal to the peasants of Thuringia, promising them the spoils taken from their lords. The revolt of the peasants of Southern (ier- manj' led him to imagine that the time had come to extend his new kingdom. He had cast some large guns in the convent of the Franciscans, and now exert- ed himself to raise the peasantry' and miners. " When will you shake off your slumbers," said he, in a fa- natical address: "Arise and fight the battle of the Lord! The time is come — France, Germany, and Italy are up and doing. Up and at it I— Bran (at it !), drcm, draii! Heed not the cries of the ungodly. They will weep like children — but be you pitiless. — Dran, (Iran, dran ! Fire burns — let your swords be ever tinged with blood ! — Dran, dran, dran ! Work while it is day." The letter was signed "Miinzer, God's servant against the ungodly," or •' Thomas Miinzer, with the sword of Gideon." Leaving Pfeiffer as governor at Miihlhausen, he marched towards Frankenhausen, and committed all manner of excesses in the country which he traversed. The country people, eager for plunder, flocked in crowds to his standard. Throughout the districts of Mansfeld, Stolbcrg, Schwarzbiirg, Hesse, and Brunswick the peas- antry ri)S(> (11 masse. The convents of Michelstein, II- senbiirg, Walkenricd, Rossleben, and many others in the neighborhood of the Ilartz mountains or in the plains of Thuringia, were plundered. At Reinhardsbrunn, the place v.hich Luther had once visited, the tombs of the ancient landgraves were violated, and the library de- stroyed. Terror spread far and wide. Even at Witten- berg some anxiety began to be felt— the doctors who had not feared emperors nor pope trembled in presence of the madman. Curiosity was all alive to the accounts of what was going on, and watched every step in the [irogross of the insurrection. Jlelancthon wrote: "We are lierc in imminent danger. If Miinzer be successful, it is all over with us; unless Christ should appear for our deliverance. !Milnzer's progress is marked liy more than Scythian cruelty. His threats are more dreadful than I can tell you." The elector John, duke George of Saxony, the landgrave Philip of Hesse, and duke Henrj- of Brunswick finalh- united their forces, and sent fifteen hundred horsemen and some companies of infan- try against the rebels. IMilnzer's men then numbered about eight thousand. A battle was fouglit May 15,