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

He denounced established governments, and advocated

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

Merx, Thomas Munzer and Heinrich Pfeiffer (

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

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