De Swarte, the name of a number of Mennonites in Flanders, Belgium; the martyr books enumerate seven martyrs by this name, and besides them two or three of their wives. Most of them belonged to one family. The information concerning these martyrs is hazy and incomplete. Neither van Braght's Martyrs' Mirror nor Froissard's l'Eglise sous la croix (Paris, 1857) is complete. Ed Coussemaker, in Les Troubles Réligieuses du XVIe Siècle dans la Flandre Maritime 1560-70 (Brugge, 1876, 4 vols.), names fourteen persons named de Swarte or de Zwarte and some of their wives, namely, Adreaen, Andries, Christiaen, Cornelis, Etienne (Steven), Françoys, Françoys-Anthonis, Gautier (Wouter), Jan, Jacob, Martijn, Mat(t)hieu, Nicolas, and Hans. Of these, the following martyrs are mentioned in this Encyclopedia: Christiaen, Claes (that is, Nicolas), Frans (Françoys), Hans, Jacob, Jan, and Mahieu (Matthieu).

Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Waterloo, Ontario, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, p. 666. All rights reserved. For information on ordering the encyclopedia visit the Herald Press website.

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