Willibald von Haxenberg, chamberlain of King Ladislas IV of Poland, in 1642 received from this king all the properties of the Mennonites in Prussia, both in the cities and in the country, because "this people has settled in our country without permission and are harming the trade of our citizens." Von Haxenberg took advantage of his privilege to extort 80,000 guilders annually from the Mennonites. By supplications and large gifts to the king, the Mennonites secured from him in December 1642 the cancellation of the privileges given to von Haxenberg. The good will of the king to the Mennonites lasted only until 1647, and after the death of Ladislas IV, von Haxenberg again contacted the Mennonites asking them for two guilders pro "Hufe" under the pretext that he would procure freedom of religion for them. The Mennonites, upon complaint to the new King John II Casimir, were on 16 July 1650, granted an edict which ordered that no one should extort from the Mennonites under the pretext of their faith.

Bibliography

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, p. 682. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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