a Roman Catholic priest who was the first preacher in the Northern Netherlands to be put to death as a direct result of his Protestant beliefs. Bakker started to spread his views, some of which are considered heretical by the Church, and in May 1523 he and another priest were arrested by the steward of the castle. After a short while they were released, and it is thought that the two travelled to Wittenberg, but there is no evidence he met with Martin Luther. After he returned he continued his preaching and aggravated his conflict with the Roman Catholic Church by breaking his vow of celibacy and getting married.
