Franz von Waldeck

Franz von Waldeck, or "Francis of Waldeck" (1491 – July 15, 1553), was Prince-Bishop of Münster, Osnabrück, and Minden and a leading figure in putting down the Münster Rebellion.

In the early 1530s, the city of Münster instituted reformation, but soon fell under the control of the radical Bernhard Rothmann. Franz von Waldeck took action against the city, including the confiscation of goods owned by city merchants. In February of 1533, both sides came to an agreement and the hostilities ceased.

By early 1534, Anabaptists were in control, and Bishop Waldeck besieged the city. On Easter Sunday, 1534, Anabaptist leader Jan Matthys brought a band forth out of the city, and was defeated and killed. John of Leiden then installed himself as king of the city of New Jerusalem (Münster). With the help of a traitor from within, Bishop Waldeck's troops took the city on June 24, 1535.

External links

* [http://www.lwl.org/westfaelische-geschichte/portal/Internet/ku.php?tab=per&ID=227 Online-Biography of Franz von Waldeck (in German)]