2017 sets the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation and Martin Luther’s nailing of his famous 95 Theses. Far from being alone in his endeavor, Luther’s efforts to reform the Church were supported by a network of scholars, theologians and preachers that helped spread his ideas across the German states. One of these figures was Thomas Müntzer, a Saxon scholar and preacher, that would soon become one of Luther’s main adversaries as a leading character in what has been called the “Radical Reformation” and the German Peasants’ War. Both competing for the support and protection of the electors of Saxony for their shade of Reformation, Luther would have him exiled in the year 1524, as would happen to many of his early competitors (such as Andreas Karlstadt), by accusing him of sedition and calling him a false prophet. Not only did Müntzer have to leave a community he had been a pastor for more than a year, but also a wife and a son. After fleeing from Saxony Müntzer’s theology would exacerbate the elements of division between God’s elect and those whom he called “godless”. Similarly, the language he used in his correspondence and tracts became fierce and fiery. Until the day of his imprisonment, Müntzer would attack his many enemies with some of the most colourful and pungent language found in the Reformation. Therefore, this paper will investigate how Thomas Müntzer’s theology and language changed during his months in exile, that corresponded with his involvement in the German Peasants’ War and the last of his short life, and the sudden shift in attitude in the final days before his execution, as can be seen in his confession given under torture and his final recantation.
Prison/Exile: Controlled Spaces in Early Modern Europe 