Easter Sunday Outside the Walls
Jan Matthys Walked Out of Besieged Münster on Easter 1534 Expecting to Meet the Returned Christ
The Anabaptist 'New Jerusalem' put a Dutch prophet in charge; mercenaries in the Bishop's pay killed him outside the walls.
What was claimed (paraphrase)
Jan Matthys walked out of Münster on Easter Sunday 1534, expecting to meet the returned Christ, and was immediately killed by mercenaries in the pay of the Bishop.
— Jan Matthys (Anabaptist prophet / Münster theocracy) · said Feb 1534 · due Easter Sunday 1534 (April 5)
Christ did not return at Münster on Easter 1534. Matthys was killed outside the walls. The Anabaptist kingdom fell to the Bishop's forces in June 1535; leaders' remains hung in cages on St. Lambert's — still there.
The Story
Münster's Anabaptists did not wait politely for the millennium. They built it, banned unbaptized adults, and put Jan Matthys in charge. On Easter Sunday 1534 he walked out of the siege expecting to greet the returned Christ. The Bishop's mercenaries did not share the liturgy. Successor 'King Jan' collected wives; the cages on St. Lambert's collected the receipt.
Receipts
English paraphrase from Deutschlandmuseum's museum calendar text (opened this session). Easter Sunday 1534 = April 5 (Julian).
- Theocracy in Münster — Deutschlandmuseum history calendar (Easter exit)accessed 2026-10-24
- Münster rebellion — Wikipediaaccessed 2026-10-24
As of Oct 25, 2026
since it didn't happen
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