# Hans de Ries 1615: history of the martyrs · Overview Hans de Ries (1553–1638) was a Dutch Mennonite teacher associated with the Waterlanders. Baptized at De Rijp, he later served the congregation at Alkmaar and worked with other ministers on confessions of faith. He sought peace and cooperation among Mennonite groups divided over church practice. He gathered reports and records of those who had suffered for their faith and encouraged others to contribute. In 1615 he published Historie der Martelaren, bringing a larger body of testimony together. His introduction urged the churches to learn love and peace from the witnesses whose suffering they remembered. The work appeared in further editions and became an important foundation for Thieleman J. van Braght’s later collection. De Ries therefore connects the Waterlander story with the preservation of martyr accounts: the book inherited by later readers grew through the work of collectors, editors, and congregations as well as its best-known compiler. - [GAMEO: Hans de Ries (1553–1638)](https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Ries%2C_Hans_de_%281553%E2%80%931638%29) - [GAMEO: the publication history of Mennonite martyr books](https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Martyr_Books) - [The later Martyrs’ Mirror collection](/en/events/martyrs-mirror-1660/) - [Supplied timeline: named figure and dated activity](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/blob/main/sources/church-history/photos/IMG_9376.jpg) --- Page: https://history.truechristian.church/en/people/hans-de-ries/ [Contribute a correction or addition](https://github.com/trueChristian/history.truechristian.church/issues/new?title=Correction%3A+Hans+de+Ries&body=%23%23+Page+or+topic%0AHans+de+Ries%0A%0APage%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.truechristian.church%2Fen%2Fpeople%2Fhans-de-ries%2F%0A%0ARecord%3A+hans-de-ries%0A%0ADate+currently+shown%3A+1615%3A+history+of+the+martyrs%0A%0A%23%23+Correction+or+addition%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Sources+and+evidence%0APlease+include+book%2Fpage+references%2C+archive+links%2C+or+first-hand+documentation.%0A%0A%0A%0A%23%23+Image+credit+%28if+applicable%29%0ACreator%2C+source%2C+and+permission+or+public-domain+basis.%0A%0A%0A%0ASubmitted+for+review%3B+this+issue+does+not+publish+changes+automatically.)