The small industrial town of Zwickau had long been a hotbed of Waldensian heresy.

Under the guidance of Thomas Muenzer the clothweavers of this place formed a religious society animated by the desire to renovate both church and state by the readiest and roughest means.

Suppression of the movement at Zwickau by the government resulted only in the banishment, or escape, of some of the leaders.
[Sidenote: December 27, 1521] Three of them found their way to Wittenberg, where they proclaimed themselves prophets divinely inspired, and conducted a revival marked with considerable, though harmless, extravagance.
[Sidenote: January 20, 1522] As the radicals at Wittenberg made the whole of Northern Germany uneasy, the Imperial Council of Regency issued a mandate forbidding all the innovations and commanding the Elector of Saxony to stop them.

It is remarkable that Luther in this felt exactly as did the Catholics.
Early in March he returned to Wittenberg with the express purpose of checking the reforms which had already gone too far {83} for him.

His personal ascendency was so great that he found no trouble in doing so.
Not only the Zwickau prophets, but Carlstadt and Zwilling were discredited.