 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2015) |
| John of Leiden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Anabaptist King of Münster | |
| Reign | 8 September 1534 – 24 June 1535 |
| Deputies | Chancellor Heinrich Krechting Lieutenant Bernhard Krechting Stadtholder Bernhard Knipperdolling |
| Born | Johan Beukelszoon 2 February 1509 Zevenhoven, County of Holland, Habsburg Netherlands |
| Died | 22 January 1536 (aged 26) Prinzipalmarkt, Münster, Prince-Bishopric of Münster |
| Spouse | |
| Occupation(s) | Tailor, merchant, innkeeper |
| Known for | Role in the Münster rebellion |
John of Leiden (born Johan Beukelszoon; 2 February 1509 – 22 January 1536) was a Dutch Anabaptist leader. In 1533 he moved to Münster, capital of the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, where he became an influential prophet, turned the city into a millenarian Anabaptist theocracy, and proclaimed himself King of New Jerusalem in September 1534. The insurrection was suppressed in June 1535 after Prince-Bishop Franz von Waldeck besieged the city and captured John. John was tortured to death in the city's central marketplace on 22 January 1536, along with Bernhard Knipperdolling and Bernhard Krechting.