1571: Hans Haslibacher, Bern Anabaptist
October 20th, 2013 Headsman
On this date in 1571, Anabaptist Hans Haslibacher was martyred in Bern, Switzerland.
Haslibacher (German link) joined the oft-suppressed movement in 1532 and quickly established himself as one of the most energetic proselytizers in the Emmental in Bern canton.
Condemned at last in 1571 after a lifetime of arrests, he was honored in a 32-stanza anonymous poem “Das Haslibacherlied” (German) alleging that Haslibacher prophesied that his death would be marked with three signs:
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His head when struck off would spring into a hat and laugh aloud;
The sun would turn blood-red;
The town fountain would spew blood.
According to the poem, all three prophesies came to pass … and “the hangman too was heard to say: / ‘Tis guiltless blood I’ve shed today.”
The Swiss Anabaptists are noteworthy as the confessional ancestors of the present-day Amish: the latter sect is named for 17th century Bern canton Anabaptist Jakob Ammann, who was the leader of one faction in a 1693 schism within the Swiss Anabaptist community.
Fortunately (though not for this here site) that schism emerged too late in the day for a classic religious martyrdom. Hans Haslibacher, in fact, was the last Anabaptist put to death for his faith in Bern.
On this day..
- 1526: Bianca Maria Gaspardone, the Insatiate Countess - 2020
- 2011: Muammar Gaddafi - 2019
- 1790: Joseph Mountain, Atlantic picaro - 2018
- 1575: Archbishop Leonid of Novgorod - 2017
- 1933: Dallas Egan, dancing - 2016
- 1939: Operation Tannenberg public mass executions begin - 2015
- 1858: Owen McQueeney, Green Tent Murderer - 2014
- 1865: William Grant, evidently a ringleader, a persuader, and adviser - 2012
- Daily Quintuple: The Morant Bay rebellion - 2012
- 2009: Four Tibetans - 2011
- 1401: Klaus Stortebeker, Victual Brother pirate - 2010
- 2005: Luis Ramirez, claiming innocence - 2009
- 1865: Champ Ferguson, Confederate guerrilla - 2008
Entry Filed under: 16th Century,Arts and Literature,Beheaded,Capital Punishment,Death Penalty,Disfavored Minorities,Execution,God,Heresy,History,Milestones,Public Executions,Religious Figures,Switzerland
Tags: 1570s, 1571, amish, Anabaptist, bern, emmental, hans haslibacher, jakob ammann, october 20, Protestant Reformation
Just to be pedantic: it’s actually a song rather than a poem (‘lied’ is German for song) that was composed about him. It’s set to the tune ‘Warum betrubst du dich mein Herz’ which was (and is) a popular chorale, a folk hymn sung by the Lutheran congregation, and it’s a tune often used for songs about executed criminals in the German lands. But what’s fascinating about this one is that it’s a song that proclaims his innocence – the opposite of most of these types of songs.
Thanks so much for this!
Una