New Broom Terrorists

[Drhoz]

Anybody know any religious sects that started a terror campaign to purge the faith of hypocrites, corruption, and the like? There's Judas Maccabeus, of course, and his eventually succesful campaign culminating in throwing pagan idols out of the Temple, but I'm trying to recall any examples from A.D.

Christian sects, if possible. And I'd prefer one that had an aim in mind that we would consider admirable, today. The various Inquisitions thus don't count.

I've already had the Free Companies suggested, but they were out to burn all organised religion

iirc, there was that group in "The Name of the Rose" that got overly evangelical with their vow of poverty... but I forget what they were called

[jtelson]

That might be the Apostoli (Apostolic Brethren?) who eventually birthed the Dulcinian Movement. The problem there is that they didn't really become nasty until after they'd been persecuted, tortured, burned at the stake and finally attacked by Episcopal troops. After they were driven from the Sesia(?) valley in the early 1300's they entrenched on Parete Calva and took to raiding the villages where they had lived earlier - justifying it by claiming they were so good they could do no wrong and that the villages should have protected them better from the church.

At about that point they fit the bill and Clement V pretty early on in his Popetitude called for a Crusade

[jtelson]

Wow that didn't answer your question at all did it? Sorry

The Dominican Order pretty much came out of efforts to suppress the Cathars in the early 1200's. Not that the Order itself was successful - long bloody wars were needed, but it's close enough for fiction.

[BNakagawa]

Does the Spanish Inquisition count?

Upon closer reading of the OP, I guess not.

[Ian Mackinder]

Trouble is, as far as I can tell from my limited reading in this area, there might be various groups that started off well-intentioned and/or almost admirable in one way or another (especially as regards what is being looked for here), but soon devolved into something nasty.

And vice versa,too - a few early forms of Protestantism apparently were, in their own ways, almost as scary then as Al Qaeda is now.

[Trebuchet]

IIRC shortly after their arrival in Utah there was a small group of radical Mormons who terrorized those fellow Mormons they felt were not sufficiently devout, committing several murders. They were only around a year or two. There was even a Sherlock Holmes story based on them.

That might not be as old as you want.

[Houston GM]

there was that group in "The Name of the Rose" that got overly evangelical with their vow of poverty... but I forget what they were called
They were the Franciscans.

You might also look at the Peasants' War and the Twelve Articles of the Black Forest. It's not exactly what you're looking for, but it's somewhat close.

[lemming]

IIRC shortly after their arrival in Utah there was a small group of radical Mormons who terrorized those fellow Mormons they felt were not sufficiently devout, committing several murders. They were only around a year or two. There was even a Sherlock Holmes story based on them.

That might not be as old as you want.

For that matter there were the Mormons who felt it was OK to rob non-mormon wagon trains. But I don't think that was terrorism, just robbery.

[pinecone]

Anybody know any religious sects that started a terror campaign to purge the faith of hypocrites, corruption, and the like? There's Judas Maccabeus, of course, and his eventually succesful campaign culminating in throwing pagan idols out of the Temple, but I'm trying to recall any examples from A.D.

Christian sects, if possible. And I'd prefer one that had an aim in mind that we would consider admirable, today. The various Inquisitions thus don't count.

I've already had the Free Companies suggested, but they were out to burn all organised religion

iirc, there was that group in "The Name of the Rose" that got overly evangelical with their vow of poverty... but I forget what they were called

I dunno...take a look at what the Hussites did to the Adamites (sp?) The whole reformation is full of shocking violence and betrayal. From a Catholic perspective the whole Protestant movement fits you senario I suppose...

[Drhoz]

I dunno...take a look at what the Hussites did to the Adamites (sp?) The whole reformation is full of shocking violence and betrayal. From a Catholic perspective the whole Protestant movement fits you senario I suppose...

True, and an obvious example I should have thought of - thanks for the pointer to the Adamites and Hussites, too

[Drhoz]

Trouble is, as far as I can tell from my limited reading in this area, there might be various groups that started off well-intentioned and/or almost admirable in one way or another (especially as regards what is being looked for here), but soon devolved into something nasty.

And vice versa,too - a few early forms of Protestantism apparently were, in their own ways, almost as scary then as Al Qaeda is now.

Yes, there does seem to be theme developing here - but that's fine, the situation I want this info for is one that rapidly escalates anyway

[Drhoz]

IIRC shortly after their arrival in Utah there was a small group of radical Mormons who terrorized those fellow Mormons they felt were not sufficiently devout, committing several murders. They were only around a year or two. There was even a Sherlock Holmes story based on them.

That might not be as old as you want.

I'll have to remember that one - bit recent, true, but certainly one that I and the NPC I'm planning will keep in mind

[Drhoz]

They were the Franciscans.

You might also look at the Peasants' War and the Twelve Articles of the Black Forest. It's not exactly what you're looking for, but it's somewhat close.

Thanks :)

[Lucius]

What's this about free companies?

Lucius Alexander

And a freelance palindromedary

[jtelson]

What's this about free companies?

Lucius Alexander

And a freelance palindromedary

I know English Free Companies 'released' in France during the 100 years' war did a number on churchs, but also towns, villages, and slow moving farm animals. I've occasionally heard it refered to as an attack on religion but mostly it was just the age old question "Why do you rob banks?"

[AmadanNaBriona]

perhaps the Vehmgericht (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_the_Holy_Court) might be of use.

They, incidentally, have a groovy looking secret alphabet

[assault]

Lutherans! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(1527)) ;)

All silliness aside, this episode would have convinced many Catholics that the Reformation was a real threat.

Scots Covenanters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenanters#Conventicles).

Munster Anabaptists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnster_Rebellion).

Dulcinites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulcinian).

[Drhoz]

Lutherans! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(1527)) ;)

All silliness aside, this episode would have convinced many Catholics that the Reformation was a real threat.

Scots Covenanters (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenanters#Conventicles).

Munster Anabaptists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCnster_Rebellion).

Dulcinites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulcinian).

Thanks! as it happens, I was just looking up the Dulcinites

[Drhoz]

What's this about free companies?

Lucius Alexander

And a freelance palindromedary


I know English Free Companies 'released' in France during the 100 years' war did a number on churchs, but also towns, villages, and slow moving farm animals. I've occasionally heard it refered to as an attack on religion but mostly it was just the age old question "Why do you rob banks?"


Sundog put it thus :


One group that stands out (or rather, set of groups) was the Free Companies (Freikorps) that terrorized much of central Europe from the middle to somewhat after the official end of the Thirty Years' War. Their beef was with ANY form of religious organization, whether Catholic, Lutheran or Calvinist, believing that any organizational structure was inherently corrupt and separated Man from God. Their warbands' catchcry was "Set the Red Rooster on the Vestry roof" - that is, burn every church to the ground (preferably with the Priest in it).

Precisely how organized and how much support the Freikorps had among the populace is a question best called disputed. The second half of the Thirty Years' War saw much of Europe in flames, and records are sketchy at best; some historians see them as a major force that forced the warring groups to reduce their commitment to the conflict simply to deal with them, others that they were merely the side effect of a fundamentally lawless time, religiously motivated bandits.

[jtelson]

Sundog put it thus :


One group that stands out (or rather, set of groups) was the Free Companies (Freikorps) that terrorized much of central Europe from the middle to somewhat after the official end of the Thirty Years' War. Their beef was with ANY form of religious organization, whether Catholic, Lutheran or Calvinist, believing that any organizational structure was inherently corrupt and separated Man from God. Their warbands' catchcry was "Set the Red Rooster on the Vestry roof" - that is, burn every church to the ground (preferably with the Priest in it).

Precisely how organized and how much support the Freikorps had among the populace is a question best called disputed. The second half of the Thirty Years' War saw much of Europe in flames, and records are sketchy at best; some historians see them as a major force that forced the warring groups to reduce their commitment to the conflict simply to deal with them, others that they were merely the side effect of a fundamentally lawless time, religiously motivated bandits.


New one on me - The Thirty Years' War was pretty much last call for large mercenary armies and large religious wars in Europe but Freikorp always conjures up post WWI Germany for me. I'd be interested in learning more.

[Sundog]

The problem is, there ain't that much more to say on the subject. It's pretty clear that many of the Freikorps developed from mercenary bands and displaced citizenry, but solid information on them is depressingly difficult to come by.

[jtelson]

The problem is, there ain't that much more to say on the subject. It's pretty clear that many of the Freikorps developed from mercenary bands and displaced citizenry, but solid information on them is depressingly difficult to come by.

I hadn't heard the term (Freikorps) in any context prior to the Seven Years' War and as I said you really hear about them post WWI so I was curious where I could learn more.