Divided by faith. Politics and religion in 16th century - ZIP

elective courses
general courses

Students should have a general orientation in Polish and European history of the 16th century and a basic knowledge about the European Reformation (Zwingli, Luther Calvin; the Reformation in Poland Lithuania). The command of English as a reading language is required.

The Reformation marks a major turning point in European history. The lecture enquires into how theological and political factors interacted in a process that led to fundamental changes not only in Europe's ecclesiastical order but also in its system of power. It attempts to answer the following questions: Why did the Swiss and the German Reformation – contrary to earlier 'dissient' or 'heretic' movements within the Catholic church – amount to a fundamental, and lasting, ecclesiastical schism? Which factors were crucial in the process of turning the quest for ecclesiastical reform into a political agenda? Why were both the theological/ecclesiastical and the political actors unable to 'remedy' the confessional divide in the decades and centuries to come? Why did most (although not all) of the European societies and states, both Catholics and Protestants, fail to establish modes of confessional toleration?

"This course is offered within the University of Warsaw Integrated Development Programme, co-financed from the European Social Fund under the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development 2014-2020, path 3.5."

The European Reformation was essentially a political event. The Roman church had long before witnessed theological controversies, the diversification of religious practices and the emergence of 'heretical' movements that aimed at fundamentally altering or reforming the existing ecclesiastical structures. Nevertheless, Rome had, until the end of the 15th century, always been able to accomodate, in one way or the other, religious diversity and theological dissent, and to avoid a new schism. In the 16th century instead, the the controversies and tension within the Catholic church seemed to 'explode' – bringing about new confessional divisions within European Christianity that were to last until present and that, for centuries, could not be overcome, neither theologically nor politically.

The outstanding historical dynamics of the Reformation in 16th century Europe can only be explained against the background of the fundamental political changes ongoing in that period. The theological and spiritual messages of the Reformation lent themselves to be translated into new political agendas: the quest of city burghers for more participation in urban politics, the claims of aristocratic estates to controle and limit monarchical power, the program of establishing territorial political autonomy within the Holy Roman Empire in opposition to Charles' V. visions of a universal monarchy in Central and Western Europe. Fighting for the 'true faith' legitimized the rebellion against existing orders of political power.

At the same time, the politically inspired disputes over the true Christian faith triggered off conflicts that could ultimately not be contained. The Euopean wars of religion substantially altered the power relations within the continent without, howver, ending in consolidating a new European order.

The lecture enquires into how religious and political matters were intertwined in that critical period of Europen history. It tries to offer answers to the following questions: Which factors were crucial in the process of turning the demand for ecclesiastical reform into a political agenda? Why were both the theological/ecclesiastical and the political actors unable to 'remedy' the confessional divide in the decades and centuries to come? Why did most (although not all) of the European societies and states, both Catholics and Protestants, fail to establish modes of confessional toleration? Not least: How did the attempts of the 16th century at accomodating (tolerating) religious diversity relate to modern concepts tolerance?

Bérenger, Jean: Tolérance ou paix de religion en Europe Centrale (1415-1792). Paris 2000

Cameron, Euan:The European Reformation. 2nd ed. Oxford 2012

Diversity and dissent: negotiating religious difference in Central Europe, 1500 – 1800. Ed. by Howard Louthan etc. Oxford, New York 2011

Hsia, R. Po-chia (ed.): A Companion to the Reformation World. Oxford 2006

Kaplan, Benjamin J.: Divided by Faith. Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe. Cambrige/Mass. 2007

Kenz, David El/Gantet, Claire: Guerres et paix de religion en Europe, 16e-17e siècles. Paris 2003

Konfessionalisierung in Ostmitteleuropa. Wirkungen des religiösen Wandels im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert in Staat, Gesellschaft und Kultur. Ed. by Joachim Bahlcke and Arno Strohmeyer. Stuttgart 1999

Kriegseisen, Wojciech: Stosunki wyznaniowe w relacjach państwo-kościół między reformacją a Oświeceniem. Warszawa 2010

Nowakowska, Natalia: King Sigismund of Poland and Martin Luther: The Reformation Before Confessionalization. Oxford 2018

The Oxford Handbook of Early Modern European History, 1350-1750. Vol. I. Ed. by Hamish Scott. Oxford 2015

Pettegree, Andrew: The Reformation World. London 2012

Ptaszyński, Maciej: Reformacja w Polsce a dziedzictwo Erazma z Rotterdamu. Warszawa 2018

The Reformation in Eastern and Central Europe. Ed. by Karin Maag. Aldershot 1997

Rublack, Ulinka: Reformation Europe. Cambridge 2005

Schorn-Schütte, Luise: Konfessionskrieg und europäische Expansion. Europa 1500-1648. München 2010

Schilling, Heinz: Early Modern European Civilization and Its Political and Cultural Dynamism. Hanover 2008

Schilling Heinz: Konfesjonalizacja: Kościół i państwo w Europie doby przednowoczesnej. Poznań 2010

Schilling, Heinz/Seidel Menchi, Silvana: The Protestant Reformation in a Context of Global History. Religious Reforms and World Civilizations. Berlin/Bologna 2017

Tazbir, Janusz: Reformacja – kontrreformacja – tolerancja, Wrocław 1996

Tolerance and Intolerance in the European Reformation. Ed. by Ole Peter Grell and Bob Scribner. Cambridge 1996

Students should benefit from the lecture in view of a) broadening there knowledge of European history in the Early Modern period, b) becoming aware of current methodological debates among historians (and anthropoliogists) about the study of religious diversity, and c) developing skills in comparative history.

If the performance of students following the lecture was to be individually evaluated I would suggest the following procedure: I would ask each participant to submit a text (of 5000 to 8000 characters) on one of the issues discussed. I would then comment on the presentations individually.