Did the Radical Reformation fail because it lacked the support of the Holy Roman princes?

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Did the Radical Reformation fail because it lacked the support of the Holy Roman princes?

What is generally understood on a historical level by the term “Radical Reformation” is the religious and political movement of Anabaptism, which spread across Switzerland, southern Germany and the Low Countries during the 16th century. Anabaptism began as a compilation of Christian theology that deviated from Catholic and conventional Protestant doctrine, chief among which was the belief that infant baptism has no basis in the Holy Scriptures and that a child cannot be forced to make a religious commitment. Instead, Anabaptists advocate baptism for adults who have personally chosen to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Conclusions on the origins of Anabaptism are varied, but two major groups that emerged in the 16th century were the Swiss Brethren in Zurich (expelled in 1526 at the insistence of Huldrych Zwingli) and the followers of Melchior Hoffman in Holland. One of the key historical differences between the Anabaptists and more mainstream Protestants, such as Lutherans, was that Anabaptism received no support from the ruling magistrates, hence Anabaptism’s designation as a Radical Reformation (as opposed to the Lutheran’s Magisterial Reformation, which received political support). The aim of this essay is to determine whether this difference was decisive for the fate of the 16th-century Anabaptist movement.

One chief reason for the lack of Anabaptist support among the princes and authorities of the Holy Roman Empire was that a key theological doctrine of Anabaptism envisioned a separation of church and state, and viewed magisterial power, swearing of oaths and the use of coercive force (e.g. conscription) as “Satanic”. Consequentially, an Imperial Mandate was soon declared by Charles V at the Second Diet of Speyer in March 1529, with the directive that “every Anabaptist and rebaptised person of either sex should be put to death by fire, sword, or some other way”. Historical investigation shows that this decree was earnestly acted upon; Euan Cameron states that “between 1523 and 1555 some 1,700 were burnt for heresy in the southern provinces and another 240 in the north. It is estimated that the majority (two-thirds, more or less) of the victims in each case were Anabaptists.”

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In addition, the persuasive impact of Martin Luther’s encouragement for the princes to stamp out Christian radicals in the Empire could have contributed to a clarification of contrast between the Anabaptists as radical Protestants and Lutherans as magisterial Protestants who would not threaten the position of the princes. In the tract in response to the 1524 German peasant revolts, “Against the Murderous, Thieving Hordes of Peasants”, which was published on the 10th of May, 1525, Luther pushes for authorities to “smite, slay and stab [the rebels], remembering that nothing can be more poisonous, hurtful or devilish than a rebel”. ...

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