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THOMAS MUNZER (c. 1489-1525)

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 14 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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THOMAS See also:MUNZER (c. 1489-1525)  , See also:German religious enthusiast, was See also:born at See also:Stolberg in the Harz near the end of the 15th See also:century, and educated at See also:Leipzig and See also:Frankfort, graduating in See also:theology . He held See also:preaching appointments in various places, but his restless nature prevented him from remaining in one position for any length of See also:time . In 1520 he became a preacher at the See also:church of St See also:Mary, See also:Zwickau, and his See also:rude eloquence, together with his attacks on the monks, soon raised him to See also:influence . Aided by See also:Nicholas Storch, he formed a society the principles of which were akin to those of the Taborites, and claimed that he was under the See also:direct influence of the See also:Holy Spirit . His zeal for the See also:purification of the Church by casting out all unbelievers brought him into conflict with the governing See also:body of the See also:town, and he was compelled to leave Zwickau . He then went to See also:Prague, where his preaching won numerous adherents, but his violent See also:language brought about his See also:expulsion from this See also:city also . At See also:Easter .1523 See also:Munzer came to Allstedt, and was soon appointed preacher at the church of St See also:John, where he made extensive alterations in the services . His violence, however, aroused the hostility of See also:Luther, in See also:retaliation for which Munzer denounced the See also:Wittenberg teaching . His preaching soon produced an uproar in Allstedt, and after holding his own for some time he See also:left the town and went to See also:Muhlhausen, where Heinrich See also:Pfeiffer was already preaching doctrines similar to his own . The See also:union of Munzer and Pfeiffer caused a disturbance in this city and both were expelled . Munzer went to See also:Nuremberg, where he issued a See also:writing against Luther, who had been mainly instrumental in bringing about his expulsion from See also:Saxony . About this time his teaching became still more violent .

He denounced established governments, and advocated See also:

common ownership of the means of See also:life . After a tour in See also:south See also:Germany he returned to Muhlhausen, overthrew the governing body of the city, and established a communistic See also:theocracy . The Peasants' See also:War had already broken out in various parts of Germany; and as the peasantry around Muhlhausen were imbued with Munzer's teaching, he collected a large body of men to See also:plunder the surrounding See also:country . He established his See also:camp at See also:Frankenhausen; but on the 15th of May 1525 the peasants were dispersed by See also:Philip, See also:landgrave of See also:Hesse, who captured Munzer and executed him on the 27th at Muhlhausen . Before his See also:death he is said to have written a See also:letter admitting the See also:justice of his See also:sentence . His Aussgetritckte Emplossung See also:des falschen Glaubens has been edited by R . See also:Jordan (MMuhlhausen, 19ot), and a life of Munzer, See also:Die Histori von Thome Miintzer des Anfengers der doringischen Uffrur, has been attributed to Philip See also:Melanchthon (See also:Hagenau, 1525) . See G . T . Strobel, Leben, Schriften and Lehren See also:Thoma Mii.ntzers (Nuremberg, 1795) ; J . K . Seidemann, See also:Thomas Munzer (Leipzig, 1842); O .

Merx, Thomas Munzer and Heinrich Pfeiffer (See also:

Gottingen, 1889); G . Wolfrau, Thomas Miinzer in Allstedt (See also:Jena, 1852) .

End of Article: THOMAS MUNZER (c. 1489-1525)
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