This book examines the multifaceted reactions of political and religious leaders to the Anabaptist reign in Münster (1534-1535). It takes as its point of departure Protestant Strasbourg, Catholic Cologne, as well as the Rhineland, and then broadens the perspective to imperial estates and the empire. The author analyzes the representations of the Münsterites and juxtaposes the fierce language with the actions that were taken to eliminate the Anabaptist menace at home and in Münster.
The book is particularly important for scholars of Catholic Reform, of the empire and of confessionalization, of Cologne and Strasbourg, and of Anabaptism.