War or Peace: Rebellion in Münster

The early 16th century was a time of radical religious reform in Europe. The Protestant Reformation led to a break with the Catholic church and a subsequent fragmentation of religious belief. Among the new Protestant sects were various forms of Anabaptism. While the Anabaptist movement is today associated with pacifism, one event in the 1530s shows that this path was not inevitable: the Münster Rebellion.

The town of Münster was located in Westphalia. Prior to the events of the uprising, an Anabaptist pastor, Bernhard Rothmann, declared that a prophet would soon be coming to liberate the people of Münster. Ultimately, two key names can be associated with leading the rebellion: Johann Matthys and Jan Bockelson.

In February of 1534, Matthys and Bockelson took control of the city without much difficulty, initiating what would become sixteen months of Anabaptist rule. Matthys in particular saw this control of Münster as an opportunity to create a "New Jerusalem." In taking political control of the city, the Anabaptists even established their own mayor, Bernhard Knipperdolling


Matthys prophesied that God's judgment would come on Easter Sunday in 1534. Conceiving of himself as a second Gideon, he surrounded himself with only 30 followers. In the end, they were cut off from the main group and killed. Matthys' head was mounted on a pole and displayed in the city.


Bockelson has become better known in history as John of Leiden. Claiming to be a successor of the Biblical King David, he was proclaimed king and governed with absolute authority, justified by heavenly visions. In the course of his rule, he introduced reforms to the city such as legalizing polygamy and instituting common goods.


As the rest of Europe became aware of the state of affairs in Münster, they felt compelled to act. The city was besieged by Francis of Waldock, the former bishop of the town in June of 1535 and fell that month. Significantly, Catholic and Protestant troops cooperated in retaking Münster. 


The leaders of the rebellion were tortured, and in January of 1536 were publicly executed. Their bodies were subsequently hanged from the steeple of St. Lamberti Church in cages which remain there to this day (photo found here). Followers who feared persecution fled to nations such as England which were more tolerant of their dissenting views.


The Münster Rebellion marked a change in the Anabaptist movement. Never again did they have such potential for political power. The uprising spread the Anabaptist name throughout Europe, and Anabaptists who had not supported the actions of the rebels were sure to differentiate themselves from the event. Thus arose the Anabaptist emphasis on pacifism which is known today.


Sincerely, Abigail Quinnley

Race Suicide

When it comes to discussing eugenics, most have heard of the horrific T4 euthanasia program implemented in Nazi Germany which resulted in nearly 200,000 deaths. Certainly, such a sobering event must be remembered. Yet to focus solely on this instance of eugenics is perhaps to forget that the movement arose in other nations and at other times throughout history. 

The eugenics movement met with popularity in North America at the turn of the 20th century. The movement had elements of both positive and negative eugenics - both an emphasis on procreation by what were considered to be superior human specimens contrasted with enforced sterilization and even euthanasia of those seen as inferior. Yet one of the complex issues surrounding the North American eugenics movement was the concept of race suicide. 

Race suicide is defined by Dictionary.com as "The extinction of a race or people that tends to result when, through the unwillingness or forbearance of its members to have children, the birthrate falls below the death rate." The origin of the term is listed as "1900-05, Americanism."

One of the original proponents of this concept was Theodore Roosevelt. He discussed the fear of white American infertility and stated that to use birth control or fail to keep up with the birth rate of ethnic minorities was to risk suicide. The pressure was thus placed on Anglo-Saxon women to continue to procreate, and the use of birth control was constructed as contrary to nationalism. (Image found here.)

The ideology of race suicide spread, likely in part due to its ability to support various political and religious agendas. In Quebec, French-Canadian nationalists echoed the rhetoric of Anglo-Saxons, proclaiming that the use of birth control was race suicide. Interestingly, however, socialist groups supported birth control, feeling that the capitalist system encouraged large families in order to create a large, cheap labour force. These views continued into the era of the Great Depression, despite the fact that having many children was frequently not economically viable.

Comfortable as it may be to believe that ideas of eugenics are gone from our present society, Google provides an interesting timeline of search results relating to race suicide. While these results are not all perfectly relevant, the graph provides an interesting depiction of the fact that race suicide has never disappeared from newspapers and journals within the past century. Though most prevalent in the early 1900s, mention of the concept persists. It is impossible to say how relevant these concepts are within the popular societal mindset, yet it is important to be aware of the past's influence upon our present.

Sincerely, Abigail Quinnley