Wilhelm Reublin, was one of the founders of Anabaptism, and one of the most interesting during the Reformation. He was born sometime around 1480 or 1484 in Rottenberg am Neckar, and lived a lengthy life for those days. He died after 1559 in Moravia. Some accounts put his age at death at somewhere around 75 or even close to 80. He received a clerical consecration while a student at the University of Freiburg around 1509, and then went to Tübingen, but gave up his parish within a year. In the spring of 1521 he appeared with the title of Magister and entered St. Alban's Church in Basel as a people's priest. His powerful advocacy of the new faith won him a large following. According to the Basel chronicles he explained "the holy Scriptures so well that the like had never been heard before." His audience numbered up to 4,000. He preached against the ceremonies of the old church and its hierarchy, the vigils, annual Masses and Masses for the dead, the regulations of fasting, and offered to give an account on all these points from the Bible. When he began to preach against the Mass the bishop raised a complaint with the council. The populace sided with the bold preacher, since he proclaimed the pure Scripture, and the council had to let him go. He was expelled from the city, in spite of the intervention of his friends, in 1522. He received an appointment as people's priest at Lauffenburg on the Rhine, but could not remain under Austrian dominion. In the autumn of 1522 Reublin appeared in Zürich without a position. He joined the Reformation circles and became one of its most radical proponents. Reublin was the first in the canton of Zürich, in early 1524, to preach against the baptism of infants; by Easter a number of parents in his congregation did not present their children for baptism. He said, "If I had a child I would not have it baptized before it came to maturity and could choose its own godparents." He was arrested and imprisoned for a time. He gathered around men like Felix Manz and Conrad Grebel who were of similar belief. After a debate with Zwingli these Anabaptists were expelled from the region. Reublin now turned toward his home town Rottenburg. Here and in Horb he was active in the Anabaptist cause. He called upon Michael Sattler to take charge of the work in this region. When Sattler and his followers, including Reublin's wife, were seized by the Austrian government and taken to Binsdorf, Reublin fled to Reutlingen. Here he wrote a brief account of the death of his friend Michael Sattler and his companions, and of the tribulations of the Anabaptists in Swabia. His wife remained in prison a long time. The mayor of Zürich, at the request of her relatives, sent a petition in her behalf. She was probably released upon recantation and an oath, for Reublin reported that all the women with the exception of Sattler's wife had recanted. Reublin continued to move around the region continually avoiding capture even as other Anabaptist associates were put to death. He eventually renounced Anabaptism and lived for more than 30 years afterwards, dying at an advanced age.   Site Concept and Design: ©  JT eDesigns.com, 2011 Daniel Perrett   The Radicals is one of Daniel Perrett’s few roles in front of the camera.  His first credited role was playing the part of Lionel in the Soap Opera Days of our Lives. After The Radicals he continued to work in the industry, but was behind the scenes instead of in front of the camera. He worked as an editor and also in the wardrobe and costume department in both film and episodics. Wilhelm Reublin was known as a charismatic individual, and Daniel Perrett brought forth that quality perfectly in this role. Michael Sattler | Margaretha Sattler | Ulrich Zwingli | Eberhard Hoffmann | Wilhelm Reublin | George Blaurock | Felix Mantz | Conrad Grebel | Count Joachim von Zollern