Editing Jakob Hutter (section)

==Biography==
Hutter was born in the small hamlet of Moos near [[St. Lorenzen]] in the [[Puster Valley]], in the [[County of Tyrol]] (present-day [[South Tyrol]], Italy). He learned [[Hatmaking|hat making]] in nearby [[Prags]] and became an itinerant craftsman. Later he settled in [[Spittal an der Drau|Spittal]], [[Duchy of Carinthia|Carinthia]].

He probably first encountered [[Anabaptists]] in [[Klagenfurt]] and soon thereafter was converted to their belief. He began preaching in the Puster Valley region, forming several small congregations. As soon as the [[Habsburg monarchy|Habsburg]] authorities in Tyrol learned of these activities in early 1529, they	(Catholic Church) began to persecute the Anabaptists. In 1527, the Habsburg archduke [[Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor|Ferdinand I of Austria]] declared that seductive doctrines and heretical sects "will not be tolerated". In turn, Hutter and a few others went to investigate [[Margraviate of Moravia|Moravia]], because they heard the persecution was not as severe there. They visited [[Hustopeče|Auspitz]], where they found the situation was indeed more tolerant and the Tyrolean Anabaptists decided to emigrate. As small groups moved to Moravia, Hutter first remained in Tyrol to pastor to those who remained. He escaped capture by the authorities because other captured Anabaptists would not reveal his whereabouts, even under severe torture.

Hutter arrived in Moravia in 1533, when the persecution of the Anabaptists in Tyrol was at its peak. Many Anabaptists from the [[Palatinate (region)|Palatinate]], [[Swabia]] and [[Silesia]] also went to Moravia. Hutter united the local Anabaptist congregations, enabling Anabaptism in Moravia to flourish. Under Hutter's leadership, several of the congregations adopted the early Christian practice of communal ownership of goods, in addition to their Anabaptist beliefs of nonviolence, and [[Believer's baptism|adult baptism]].

In 1535, however, the Moravian ''[[Landstände|Landtag]]'' diet had all Anabaptists expelled from Moravia and they scattered to surrounding countries. Hutter returned to Tyrol, where he and his wife were arrested on 30 November 1535 in [[Klausen, South Tyrol|Klausen]] and brought to the fortress of Branzoll ([[Bronzolo]]). On 9 December, Hutter was deported to the Tyrolean capital [[Innsbruck]], where he was interrogated and pressured to [[Recantation|recant]]. Even under severe torture he would not recant or reveal the names of other Anabaptists. Hutter was sentenced to death by fire and [[Death by burning|burned at the stake]] on 25 February 1536 in Innsbruck in front of the [[Goldenes Dachl|Golden Roof]].<ref>Hutterian Brethren. ''The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren''. (New York: Plough Publishing House, 1987), p. 145.</ref> According to the ''Hutterian Chronicle'', a total of 360 Anabaptists were executed in Tyrol.

Hutter's words are recorded in eight letters, written under severe persecution.