DOCUMENT 13.1

DOCUMENT 13.1

Depictions of Anabaptist Martyrs, 1544 and ca. 1536

The Anabaptists told the stories of their martyrs in songs, poems, pamphlets, and pictures. These two scenes of Anabaptist martyrdom sought to capture a single, telling moment. In the first, from 1544, a serene Maria van Beckum awaits her death, while her brother’s wife, Ursula, offers words of encouragement, knowing full well that she will be next to mount the pyre. In the second, dating from about 1536, a caged John of Leyden is suspended above a raucous crowd that revels in his unspeakable suffering. As you examine the engravings, ask yourself why the artists chose to depict these particular moments. What lessons did they hope viewers would take away from these scenes?

image
(Private Collection/Roger-Viollet, Paris/The Bridgeman Art Library)
image
(Universal History Archive/UIG/The Bridgeman Art Library)

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

  1. Question

    +P5Tiw58eF/CvdIihPDopJKAdxSQzKVrbK3LZKk2sGpgEGDePx3UherIdCpF54aDUvN9KdqY56laxCuXz5SDy9jTpfTgr9XMTc7KQIgbFgyXZextaN72s0vbwKCl8RAJCa3Pa3nOYcicIvltwZ6EmwDsPF0Ys51dYfv96QxvbuuhJyO2TEIi/h9D5NHzUs8wc5PtAz5APautCV+w64FcEblZUHfPu65/Sx6cp+yOE3fYNRgPDa/r5LqM0as/AVJx67lUj10M+2bJ0I8vTGlYxzSmsq2UJNJfdf5AgcnFsT5DrXFwded3mZqAMKKiVwDVpsBd/yKfDYNVCqhgvJw2VCFllA5FtQWwgiL3KwlOh0o=

  2. Question

    XSk+5fr8P+BYPn63tkCqTv86BJQdrE02naAW/zhrv10IDpVx0rzn0D27sufKV8df0uKoWj036bgMXj1SIfMak7v9aIzPaVIxZnS+EfMDg2AuEmd4KSkZbuaPvMuBFAXM3F8P4VCi3QUHMP+GtivL2FEXyZIPBHx9ak4BqlTFs7MAWZ+VxS4TfZmwZhj1C1o/pKcFai1V21d3YZyW7gJa5WEUq6pLIzw3dUa1dUtMdjn8uLfc0FaZop55Fd+SWWq8zOWhtv8uljVAGJAAOwr7STL/rQQh4d1HefPS97zDz1MADGZC1MSUygy2QJpxnvlL