Draft:Claesken Gaeldochter

{{AFC submission|d|bio|u=Ethan Wags|ns=118|decliner=QuicoleJR|declinets=20241223000615|ts=20241216190319}}

{{AFC comment|1=We are going to need more sources about her than just that encyclopedia. QuicoleJR (talk) 00:06, 23 December 2024 (UTC)}}

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Claesken Gaeldochter (died March 14, 1559){{Cite web|last=Neff|first=Christian|title=Claesken Gaeledochter (d. 1559)|website=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|access-date=16 December 2024|url=https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Claesken_Gaeledochter_(d._1559)&oldid=162778}} was an Anabaptist martyr known for her deep scriptural knowledge and unwavering faith, which ultimately led to her execution during the height of the Protestant Reformation. She remains a symbol of courage and conviction for persecuted Christians worldwide.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Life

Claesken Gaeldochter was baptized into the Anabaptist faith in 1549 by Gillis Van Akem,{{cite web|last1=Vos|first1=Karel|first2=Wilhelm |last2=Niepoth|title=Gillis van Aken (ca. 1500-1557)|website=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|access-date=16 December 2024|url= https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Gillis_van_Aken_(ca._1500-1557)&oldid=144695}}, a key figure in the movement. At a time when scriptural knowledge was rare, especially among women, Claesken displayed exceptional knowledge of the Scriptures, which guided her spiritual journey and influenced her choices.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

Martyrdom

Claesken was cross-examined seven times during the Inquisition, demonstrating her profound understanding of the Bible throughout the proceedings. When questioned by an inquisitor about her refusal to baptize her children, she replied, "I cannot find in the Scriptures that this ought to be." This response underscored her commitment to a ‘sola scriptura’ faith, a hallmark of the Anabaptist movement.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

On March 14, 1559, under the papacy of Pope Paul IV, Claesken was sentenced to death by drowning for her adherence to Anabaptist beliefs. She was executed in Leeuwarden, Friesland (modern-day Netherlands), alongside her husband, Hendrick Eeuwesz,{{Cite web|last=Neff|first= Christian|title=Hendrik Eeuwesz (d. 1559)|website=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|access-date=16 December 2024|url=https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Hendrik_Eeuwesz_(d._1559)&oldid=162832}}, and another Anabaptist martyr, Jacques d’Auchy.{{Cite web|last1=Neff|first1=Christian|first2=Nanne|last2=van der Zijpp|title=Jacques d'Auchy (d. 1559)|website=Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online|access-date=16 December 2024|url= https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Jacques_d%27Auchy_(d._1559)&oldid=162640.}} In a letter written to her friends on the day of her execution, Claesken expressed her steadfast faith, stating, "We are to follow Christ’s steps... Scriptures constrain us to submit ourselves to [Christ] and prepare for suffering."(pg54-pg60)

References

{{Cite web|date=2021-02-04|title=A Theology of Suffering: Suffering and Martyrdom in Sixteenth-Century Anabaptist Hymnody|website=Anabaptist Historians|url=https://anabaptisthistorians.org/2021/02/04/a-theology-of-suffering-suffering-and-martyrdom-in-sixteenth-century-anabaptist-hymnody/}}