# Great Persecution In Austria, A. D. 1539.

1539 · Historical source

Source: Martyrs’ Mirror. Original heading: GREAT PERSECUTION IN AUSTRIA, A. D. 1539.

Source heading; not independently verified

In said year, 1539, the church having dwelt for a
little while at Steinborn, in Austria, and having begun
to increase there, the old serpent, the envious
and arch-wicked satan, who so miserably tormented
the pious, could not endure or overlook it, but in
his wrath stirred up the children of wickedness, especially
the priests, who in all this are his agents
and executors; so that they constantly filled the
ears of King Ferdinand with their unjust accusations
of the pious, and instigated him, so that he
complied with their demand, and sent his Marshal
from Vienna, with provosts and a number of horsemen,
who unexpectedly came to Falkenstein, whence
they took with them a great mob, and fell upon the
church at Steinborn, on the 6th day of December,
in the evening or at night, in the above-mentioned
year. All the men whom they found, they put into
one room, and thus they also did with the women
and maidens. With great tumult and noise they
kept watch during the night, and brought in
all whom they could find. Their chief intention
was to apprehend the elders and ministers of the
church, hoping to obtain much money from their
people, and thus deprive the poor people of their
sustenance, notwithstanding God would severely
punish such wickedness. But God through his
providence prevented them, so that they could not
find a single minister. In every nook and corner
they rummaged for the sustenance of widows and
orphans, and persevered greatly in their ungodly
assiduity. But God brought to naught and folly
their counsel, when they thought to find wealth
among the poor. In their tyranny they apprehended
sick people, children, and pregnant women, so that
it could have moved a heart of stone to the deepest,
and enduring compassion.

The imprisoned brethren and sisters made themselves
ready to offer up their bodies and lives unto
God, whether through fire or through the sword.
On the evening when this persecution took place,
some men of Philip’s people had also come, with
the intention of making known to them the
ground of the church, and of their whole life. Thus
as many as a hundred and fifty brethren were together
apprehended, and, well guarded, were
brought up to the castle of Falkenstein. Among
their number there were some who had not yet
received the baptismal covenant of grace; as also
some who had apostatized from the truth, and were
now penitents. Having all arrived in the castle of
Falkenstein, they conferred with those who had not
yet bound themselves in the faith. These they
asked what they purposed to do in this tribulation,
and told them that, if they, for the testimony and
honor of God, would firmly adhere, in all suffering,
to the Lord Christ, whatever distress and anguish
might befall them, they would consider them fellow-companions
in the kingdom of Christ, and hope that
God would be gracious to them; however, with this
understanding, that with those who through the
providence of God should be released, and return
to the church, the latter should have authority, by
virtue of the Lord’s command, to deal according to
their confession, in the proper measure and order;
and since they had this intention and resolution,
they would write to the elders and the churches,
and afterwards give them full information.

Thereupon they all indicated their willingness,
and, with a joyful heart and great thankfulness, desired
to accept this covenant as a grace of God.
435
Immediately upon this, the church was informed
of it by letter. A written answer speedily came,
that all the believers were well satisfied with this
resolution; since such as had not yet been incorporated,
according to divine ordinance, into the church,
but agreed with it in all things, and desired to show
forth an honest testimony of the truth, to suffer with
it and to give their lives for it in this extremity,
might well be received as fellow believers.

When they were again informed of the decision
of the church, they willingly entrusted themselves
to the Lord, manifested patience in all tribulation, as
others of the pious, and made a good confession
before many witnesses. While they were yet at Falkenstein,
King Ferdinand sent his Marshal, several
doctors from among the priests, and the executioner,
that they should go to them. These, on
Christmas night, which is customarily celebrated in
every country, began to deal with much craftiness
with the imprisoned witnesses of the truth; they
also put subtle questions to some of them, as to
what was their ground and hope, and where their
treasure or money was. Thereupon they confessed
in truth, that Christ was their Lord and Savior, their
only comfort, their only hope, their dearest heart-treasure
and best portion, in whom they received
God’s help and grace. They also treated with them
about other articles, and wanted to instruct, teach,
and convert them, as they said, especially with
regard to their sacrament, which they highly extolled,
and would have them believe that the flesh
and blood of Christ were present in it, and that it
was our Lord God, as they said; but the brethren
answered that it was a dumb god, and that the
Lord’s Supper had quite a different signification
than they perversely represented, thus shamefully
deceiving and seducing the world. With these and
many other confessions the King’s messengers returned
to Vienna; but these imprisoned brethren
remained in custody in the castle of Falkenstein.

Thus it continued until the beginning of the year
1540, when the King’s Marshal came, together with
a Spaniard, the Provost of the Empire, and other
horsemen with their equipments. These further examined
the imprisoned brethren, and those who did
not comply with their demands, but held to the truth
confessed, they speedily laid in iron chains and
bonds, coupling them two and two together by their
hands. In the mean time many of the sisters, their
fellow believers, came into the castle of Falkenstein,
when the prisoners were to be taken to the sea;
some were waiting for the imprisoned brother Eegmachel,
and others were particularly engaged in
earnest and fervent prayer and supplication to God
Almighty, that he would keep them from all wrong
and sinful actions, on sea as well as on land, and
also give them a steadfast mind, and grant that they
might persevere in the truth unto the end. After
this prayer, a Spaniard was commanded to send
all of them away. Hence they began to take leave
from one another, with many scalding tears and
weeping eyes, affectionately admonishing each other,
that each should firmly and unfalteringly adhere to
the Lord and the truth confessed. Time and again
they commended each other to the gracious protection
of God, not knowing whether in their life time
they should ever see each other again with their
bodily eyes. Thus man and wife had to separate
from each other, and leave their little children;
which flesh and blood would not have been equal
to, had it not been done through the power of God,
and for his sake. This leave-taking was so pitiful,
that the King’s Marshal, and others like him, could
not keep back their tears. When everything was
arranged, and the escort was ready, the pious went
forth, firmly trusting in God, that he would aid and
deliver them. Thus they were brought from the
tower, two and two together, ninety in all, after
having been confined five weeks and a half in Falkenstein;
but the sisters had to remain in the castle,
and from the walls, looked after the brethren, with
much sighing and sorrow, as long as they could see
them.

After this, the sisters were all sent away from the
castle to the place where they resided; but the
brethren whom they did not want to take to the
sea, on account of infirmity or sickness, and some
because of their youth, they retained as prisoners in
the castle; now and then they gave some of the
young lads as slaves to Austrian nobles; however,
nearly all of them returned to the church; the
others remained in the castle, and for them God
also wrought a gracious deliverance.

The cause of this great distress of the pious was
solely, that in antichristendom they testified against
the idolatrous and unrighteous life and ways of the
priests, for which, as an abomination, God should
once severely punish them, and make an end with
them and their sins. Hence, King Ferdinand gave
the crew of priests, who are a band of robbers, and
delight in killing and slaying, power to do with them
as they pleased. These condemned them as worthy
of death, that they should not be tolerated on the
earth, but should be sent to sea, thus to wear out
their lives in much anguish and distress, as a warning
to other brethren; and that the other three should
be delivered into the hands of the Admiral of the
Armada on the sea, and be employed on the galleons,
in pillaging and waging war against the Turks
and other enemies; though these imprisoned brethren
previously told the messengers of the King, that
they would not go against the enemy, to pillage and
wage war, neither would they consent to do wrong
on the sea just as little as on the land, nor sin
against God in heaven; and that, since it was contrary
to their faith and conscience, God, through his
unconquerable power, and his grace, could preserve
them on the sea as well as on the land. Nevertheless,
these witnesses of the divine truth were led,
through the King’s messengers and his strict command
to the authorities, through cities, towns and
villages, to be brought from one court to another.
In this they suffered much and manifold adversity
and great sorrow; but God always granted them
gracious means, particularly in this, that every
morning and evening they could all unmolestedly
pray to God, and that one brother could without
hindrance comfort the other; which they accepted
very gratefully as a special grace and gift of God.

436

By this and the ordering of their whole life they
convinced the people in many places, so that many
who at their arrival regarded them as malefactors,
had great compassion on them. Moreover, the
King’s servants, their conductors, frequently bore
them testimony, and told them that they should not
pass silently through the cities and towns, but
should make their faith known by singing or otherwise.

Thus the faithful company was led, like a flock
of sheep, through countries and cities, to the sea;
journeying from the castle of Falkenstein to Vienna,
thence to Neustadt and Schottwien, over the Semmering,
to Bruck-on-the-Mur, to the borders of Bavaria,
to Luebeck and Marburg, to Tiele, to Stein, in
Carniola, over the Save to Laibach, but still no comfort
came. During their imprisonment there they
had to suffer much hunger and distress; they were
fed with the bread of anguish, and had to drink the
water of sorrow; but thus it was the will of God to
reveal his word and truth in every place and country,
and to make it known to the nations that were
ignorant of it, and to let them hear the sound
thereof; even as he always provides gracious means
to lure men away from unrighteousness, so also
here, where these witnesses of the faith and the divine
truth were led to many and various places, and
also to places where strange languages were spoken,
where the truth had not been heard, and where it
was unknown and hidden among the nations. They
caused some from Carniola to search after the truth,
and thereby some attained to a knowledge of it, who
are still at this day serving God with a sincere heart.
But how these captive brethren, while on their journey,
were treated in many places, how they were
beaten, driven, and coupled together with ropes and
chains, and what resulted to them from this, would
be too long to write; still, however great the tribulation
they suffered, God always comforted them in
their hearts.

But since God always remembers his own for the
best, even when in the greatest fear, and never entirely
forgets them, he strengthened some in their
imprisonment, so that they trusted in God with a
good assurance and hope, that he would work for
and show them a deliverance. Therefore they prayed
with the others in the fear of God, though they were
firmly resolved to suffer for the truth of God, and to
die rather than to participate in wicked piracy; yet
they had reason enough, constantly to persevere in
prayer to God, with heartfelt lamentation and sighing,
that he would promote his divine honor in
them. In this God showed them, how they should
hold proper converse with each other, the strong
care for the weak, and assist one another. And
though they had but very little sustenance, yet they
trusted in the Lord, that he would provide for them,
so that they should not have to beg for their bread.
Then, on the twelfth night, at Trieste, they were all
delivered from their chains and bonds, and went out
of prison. Through the providence of God a place
was shown them, where they all in the same hour
let themselves down by cords from the walls of the
city. Thus the very bonds in which they had been
brought thither as prisoners, had to minister to their
deliverance.

From this it can be seen, that, though the ungodly
devise many things against the pious, God
always turns it for the best to his people. Thus,
through the providence of God, they escaped from
the hands of their enemies, in spite of the watchful
guards whom they had placed in the city and upon
the walls; for God changed their prudence to folly,
so that they escaped over the walls right near the
guard-house.

When all of them, both sick and well, had escaped
over the walls a good many of them gathered together,
knelt down, and together offered praise and
thanks to God. God thus sped them on their way,
that the greater part of them returned with joy and
glad hearts to the church in Moravia. Twelve of
them, however, were recaptured by the wicked, who
pursued them, and, together with the other three,
they were delivered to the Emperor’s Admiral over
the Armada, taken to sea, and brought upon the
galleons, with the intention of employing them as
pirates, but the pious risked their lives, and would
rather be scourged. But as to the end of each one
of these nothing certain is yet known, but, it is to
be supposed that, if they constantly adhered to the
Lord, they did not have many good days while
they lived. But the above mentioned brethren whom
God had delivered, when they, about the year 1540
returned from Trieste to the church in Moravia, they
were received with great joy and gratitude, as a gift
from God.





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