Manharter

Manharter (Manhart Brotherhood), also called Brotherhood of St. Michael (not to be confused with the Protestant Brotherhood of St. Michael founded in Marburg an der Lahn in 1931) or Hagleitner Brotherhood; sect which proclaimed not only religious beliefs but also political principles. Led by Reverend K. Hagleitner and a peasant named S. Manzl, members of this sect refused to swear the oath of loyalty as demanded by Napoleon in 1809 and rejected those among the clergy who did so. Strong ties existed to the Knights of St Michael (Michaelsritter or Michaelsbrüder) which were founded by Agnes Wirsinger in Carinthia in 1811. The latter expected the millennium ( the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth as prophesied in the Bible) to be imminent.