This book is a careful, yet natural, translation into English of Henry (Heinrich) Gresbeck's account of the reign of the Anabaptists in Münster, Westphalia, from February 1534 to June 1535. After sneaking out of the city, Gresbeck, a carpenter by trade, played a key role in the recapture of Münster by the besieging troops. Gresbeck wrote his account in order to explain his activities during the Anabaptists’ reign in the hope that the prince-bishop would restore his property. Mackay suggests that Gresbeck's account of events was written soon after the end of the siege but it was ultimately eclipsed by Herman von Kerssenbrock's Anabaptistici furoris Monasterium (1573). An eyewitness to the events only at the beginning of Anabaptists’ rule, Kerssenbrock supplemented his personal recollections with earlier histories and archival materials. In 2007 Mackay published an accurate English translation of Kerssenbrock's Latin original as Narrative of the Münster madness: the overthrow of Münster, the famous metropolis of Westphalia (Leiden). Whereas Kerssebrock's volume shaped the historiography and narrative of the Anabaptist reign in Münster, Gresbeck's account was lost until C.A.Cornelius included a copy of a later High German version in his source collection, Berichte der Augenzeugen über das münsterische Wiedertäuferreich (Münster 1853). For this new text, Mackay consulted the original Low German manuscript that Gresbeck submitted to the prince-bishop.

Outside of this text and a few letters, not much is known about Gresbeck. Mackay suggests that Gresbeck was a ‘young man’ around twenty-five years old when the Anabaptists seized Münster. After working as a Landsknecht (mercenary), he worked outside the city. Gresbeck claimed that he travelled to the city following the Anabaptist takeover in February 1534 in order to look after his mother's property. Throughout the document, Gresbeck remains quiet about his own activities among the Anabaptists. Mackay convincingly argues that Gresbeck likely supported the Anabaptists initially and was accepted as a fellow member until he fled the city. After the Anabaptists had exiled non-sympathetic men who had not already fled, Gresbeck remained behind and served in the military. Gresbeck's religious convictions are unclear, but he appears to have initially been attracted to the Anabaptist plan to foster social equality by abolishing money and sharing property in common, following the model of the Apostles in Acts. He ultimately grew embittered at the disparity between the starving population and the wealth and splendour of the Anabaptist royalty and their court. Because Anabaptist leaders instituted polygamy in the summer of 1534, after Gresbeck's arrival in Münster, Mackay concludes that the practice did not influence his initial decision to join the movement. Throughout the book, Gresbeck criticises Anabaptist polygamy and forced marriages, especially those with young girls. Although recent scholarship on Münster has tried to explain Anabaptist polygamy as a response to a surplus of women during the siege, Gresbeck describes many accounts of resistance to the practice.

Mackay suggests that Gresbeck wrote the account in order to regain property that had been confiscated by the prince-bishop after the city had been retaken. Gresbeck provides extensive details of his own contributions to and participation in the capture of the city after his escape, for which he received little credit. In addition to securing some compensation, Gresbeck strives to exculpate his fellow Münsterites from any guilt for the calamity. Throughout the work, he blames foreign ‘Hollanders and Frisians’ for the horrors that took place. However, he also criticises local leaders, like Bernard Knipperdolling and Gerard Kibbenbrock, for allowing the ‘rebaptisers’ to seize control and lists the names of other residents who joined the Anabaptists. He is careful to differentiate between the collaborators and the ‘simple folk’ who knew no better or who were intimidated by the ever-present threat of violence.

Gresbeck's description of life under Anabaptist rule is the only account written by someone who lived in the city for nearly the entire time: Kerssenbrock relied on second-hand eyewitness accounts and documents. Mackay concludes that Gresbeck did not consult others before penning his account, which explains why his version is inconsistent with other documents about the revolt, especially relating to the chronology of events after Easter 1535. Throughout the translation, Mackay's footnotes direct the reader to other sources that confirm or challenge Gresbeck's recollections. For example, Mackay clearly shows that Gresbeck fundamentally challenges other chronologies that place the death of the Dutch prophet Jan Matthijs exactly at Easter Day 1534 (p.90).

Despite some confusion about the precise course of events, Gresbeck's story is a valuable source for life under the Anabaptists. From his description of life at the court of King John, it is clear that he moved in circles in close proximity to the ruling elites, where ecstatic outbursts and prophecies continued to play a role in the authority of John's rule until the very end. As the rest of the besieged city starved, Gresbeck grew increasingly disillusioned with the opulent livery and extravagant banquets of the court. As a native of Münster, Gresbeck was also shocked by the destruction of the city's churches. He does not seem to have understood Anabaptists’ theology, the intricacies of which did not concern him. On the other hand, he provides detailed descriptions of their military planning. Gresbeck clearly sympathises with the Landsknechten who were swept up by events and with the common people who languished under the siege.

Given Gresbeck's shaky memory, his narrative needs to be read alongside other accounts. Fortunately, Mackay's notes guide the reader to relevant sources and passages. Along with his earlier translation of Kerssenbrock, Mackay's has granted non-specialists access to this example of a civic reformation gone awry that has fascinated readers over the last five hundred years. Students and scholars will now be able draw their own conclusions about these events that seemed to confirm everyone's worst fears of the danger of reformation from below.