Germany and the Holy Roman Empire Volume I: Maximilian I to the Peace of Westphalia, 1493-1648

by Whaley, Joachim

• ISBN13: 9780198731016
• ISBN10: 0198731019
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-02-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Germany and the Holy Roman Empire offers a striking new interpretation of a crucial era in German and European history, from the great reforms of 1495-1500 to the dissolution of the Reich in 1806. Over two volumes, Joachim Whaley rejects the notion that this was a long period of decline, and shows instead how imperial institutions developed in response to the crises of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, notably the Reformation and Thirty Years War. The impact of international developments on the Reich is also examined.

Author Biography

Joachim Whaley read History at Christ's College Cambridge. He held Fellowships in History at Christ's College and Robinson College before becoming a Lecturer in German in the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge, where he teaches German history, thought, and language. He is the author of Religious Toleration and Social Change in Hamburg 1529-1819 and of numerous articles on early modern and modern German history. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 1984.

Table of Contents

A Note on Terminology and Usage	p. xi
A Note on Maps and Online Resources	p. xiii
Abbreviations	p. xv
List of Maps	p. xvii
Maps	p. xix, xxi
Introduction: Narratives of Early Modern German History	p. 1
Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in 1500
Origins and Frontiers	p. 17
The Reich as a Polity	p. 25
Fragmented Territories	p. 40
The Reich and the German Nation	p. 50
The Reform of the Reich and the Church, c.1490-1519
The Reformation Era in German History	p. 61
The Reich under Maximilian I	p. 67
Reich, Papacy, and Reichskirche	p. 81
Religious Renewal and the Laity	p. 95
Humanism in the Reich	p. 102
The 'Print Revolution' and the Public Sphere	p. 117
Economic Landscapes, Communities, and their Grievances	p. 122
Martin Luther and the 'Luther Affair', 1517-1519	p. 143
Charles V and the Challenge of the Reformation in the 1520s
The Reich during the First Decade of Charles V	p. 155
Luther and Imperial Politics, 1517-1526	p. 168
Luther and the German Reform Movement	p. 183
Alternative Reformations and the Dominance of Lutheranism	p. 190
The Knights' War, 1522-1523	p. 209
The Peasants' War, 1525	p. 220
Reformation in the Cities	p. 240
Mastering the Reformation, c.1526-1555
The Emergence of Protestant Territories	p. 255
The Persistence of Catholicism	p. 272
Charles V, Ferdinand, and the Reich in Europe	p. 284
The Establishment of Protestantism, 1526-1530	p. 295
The Schmalkaldic League, its Counterparts, and the Politics of the Reich, 1530-41	p. 304
Charles V as 'Lord of Germany', 1541-1548	p. 317
The Triumph of die Reich, 1548-1556	p. 325
Managing the Peace, 1555-1618
Contours of the 'Confessional Age'	p. 339
Emperors, Imperial Officials, and Estates after the Peace of Augsburg	p. 343
Constitutional Developments after 1555: Reichstag, Kreise, Courts, and Legislation	p. 355
The Reich in Europe	p. 372
Managing the Domestic Peace, 1555-c.1585	p. 383
The Consensus Falters, c.1585-1603	p. 404
Paralysis, 1603-1614	p. 418
Problems of the Habsburg Dynasty	p. 428
The Reich in the Reign of Emperor Matthias, 1612-1619	p. 438
The Crisis of the Habsburg Lands	p. 448
Imperial Public Law and the Struggle over the Imperial Constitution	p. 457
Irenicism and Patriotism on the Eve of the War	p. 462
The German Territories and Cities After 1555
Problems of Interpretation	p. 477
A Benign Environment?	p. 481
State Formation?	p. 486
Domestic Order and Defence	p. 492
Confessionalization?	p. 498
Finance, Taxation, and Estates	p. 512
The Resurgence of the Courts	p. 522
The Imperial Cities	p. 531
Responding to Crises	p. 541
The Thirty Years War, 1618-1648
The Thirty Years War in German History	p. 563
What Kind of Conflict?	p. 566
The Reconquest of Austria and Bohemia, 1618-1623	p. 573
Ferdinand Victorious	p. 577
Denmark and the War for the Reich, 1623-1629	p. 584
What Kind of Reich? Sweden and the Defence of German Liberties, 1630-1635	p. 594
Wallenstein and After	p. 605
France, Sweden, and the German Way, 1635-1648	p. 611
The Peace of Westphalia	p. 619
The Impact of the War on German Society	p. 632
The Thirty Years War and the German Polity	p. 637
Glossary of German and Other Terms	p. 645
Bibliography	p. 651
Index	p. 695
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