bavarikon4UDescription
The Anabaptists, called by their opponents the Second Baptists, were a splinter group of the Reformation. They rejected any interference in their affairs by the authorities and only accepted them in matters where they were not in contrast to the Christian conscience. The princes saw this radically pacifist group as a threat to their authority, not least because they rejected oaths and military service. From 1527 onwards, they spread to southern Germany. The Anabaptists concentrated on the territories bordering Bavaria. In the Archdiocese of Salzburg and in Austria, mandates were first issued against them. In order to prevent them from entering Bavarian territory, Dukes William IV (1493-1550, duke 1508-1550) and Louis X (1495-1550, duke 1514-1545) reacted with a mandate published on 13 November 1527. It was composed by Secret Secretary Augustin Köllner (d. 1548) and printed in Munich by Hans Schobser (d. 1530). In terms of content, reference was made to the previous decisions taken against Luther in order to inform the population about his "false" doctrine. The ducal ministers were commissioned to track down Baptists, to take them captive and to report them to the court without delay. In turn, subjects should immediately report Baptists to the authorities and the manorial lords ought to hand them over to the ducal courts. The Anabaptists ultimately fell under ecclesiastical jurisdiction which sentenced them to death as heretics. Datum: 2016
Author
Stefan Schnupp