Jacob Hutter

Jacob Hutter (or Jakob Hutter, Hueter) (ca 1500 – 25 February 1536), was a Tyrolean Anabaptist leader and founder of the Hutterites. Jacob Hutter was born in St. Lorenzen in the Puster Valley in the County of Tyrol (South Tyrol today). He learned hat making in Prague and became an itinerant craftsperson. He first encountered Anabaptists in Klagenfurt and soon thereafter was converted to their belief. He began preaching in the Tyrol region, forming several small congregations. In early 1529, authorities in the Tyrol began to pursue Anabaptists there. Hutter and a few other went to investigate Moravia, because they heard the persecution was not as severe there. They found the situation was indeed more tolerant and the Tyrolean Anabaptists...