![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Dirk.willems.rescue.ncs.jpg/640px-Dirk.willems.rescue.ncs.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Dirk Willems
Dutch Anabaptist martyr (died 1569) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dirk Willems (Dutch pronunciation: [dɪrk ˈʋɪləms]; died 16 May 1569; also spelled Durk Willems) was a Dutch Anabaptist martyr most famous for escaping from prison but then turning back to rescue his pursuer – who had fallen through thin ice while chasing Willems – only to be recaptured, tortured, and killed for his beliefs.
![An etching of a man leaning down to reach another man who has fallen through broken ice. Several bystanders are in the background, as well as a church.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Dirk.willems.rescue.ncs.jpg/640px-Dirk.willems.rescue.ncs.jpg)