3.1 the economic, political, and religious context. Flashcards
(33 cards)
reclaiming territory for the catholic chuch: the importance of bamberg
Why was Bamberg created? what happened to the Bishops?
- to aid the spread of christianity
- 1242 bishops became prince bishops
- it was an important centre of the Roman Catholic Church
- the lands ruled by the catholic prince-bishops saw most witchcraft persecution
reclaiming territory for the catholic chuch: the counter reformation
how was the influence of the counter-reformation seen in Bamberg?
- led by prince-bishops across the roman empire and gained momentum through the new jesuit order
- jesuit churches had an anti-protestant message
- protestants believed catholics were in league with the Devil
reclaiming territory for the catholic chuch: the counter reformation
how did the elites support the habsburgs?
the habspurgs: german royal family that provided rulers for a number of european states.
- the elites who governed the states enabled them to cement overall control
bamberg and the counter-reformation
resistance to the counter-reformation in Bamberg?
lutheran commune of Marktzeuln, catholic authorities
- controlled by the bishop of Bamberg
- parishioners of the local protestant church refused to renounce their faith
- catholic authorities were threatened and chased out the area
bamberg and the counter-reformation
prince bishop in 1609
Johann Gottfried Von Aschhausen
bamberg and the counter-reformation
what did Von Aschhausen prioritise?
- conversion to catholicism
bamberg and the counter-reformation
How did Von Aschhausen prioritise the conversion of his protestant parishes to catholicism?
F, S, TQ, DE, LA
protestants could also be….
- fines were imposed on parishes that insisted on remaining protestant
- supplies were restricted
- troops quartered villages
- dissidents were sent to exile
- lutherans rounded up and arrested.
protestants could also be imprisoned in Bamberg Tower but they remained stubborn.
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
what was a jesuit
a member of the roman catholic religous order the society of Jesus, founded in 1534 and approved by the pope in 1540
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
what did he do to uncooperative priests?
- sent them to ‘priests’ vaults’
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
How many witches did he execute?
300
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
who had initiated persecutions and when?
- Netyard Von Thungen had done so in 1595
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
1610
magic, bohemia
- Von Ashhausen ordered an investigation, where any person found practicising magic would be severely punished
- this prompted protestant rebellions in Bohemia.
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
Bishops report 1611 showed what about Bamberg? What did Catholics believe about protestants?
Blaspehmy, preachers, protestantism
- Blaspehmous practices were being carried out
- in the same regions, protestant preachers were being harboured
- there was a connection between protestantism and witchcraft according to the catholics.
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
1612 who was accused? what happened?
- Lena Pantzerin
- no one knew how to examine a witch, so an outsider named Trill was broguht in
Johann Gottfried Von Ashhausen and the first witch trials
1616-1619: what happened? why did it end?
- intense witch hunting
- 1919 moderates in the local council claimed war was breaking out in Bohemia, and the authorities couldn’t afford to spend time on witches.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg: the origins
why was Bamberg significantly affected by the thirty years war?
- origins lay in both religous divisions and ambitions of the Habsburg monarchy
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg: the origins
17th century: Declining empire and rebellion
Moravia, Bohemia, resentment?
- holy roman empire was declining
- Habsburg emprerors were concerned with enhancing territory, usually through marriage
- this caused resentment Eg. Moravia and Bohemia, protestants became bitter because of the counter-reformation policies.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg: the origins
Defenestration of Prague
count thurn
- Count Thurn, leader of the protestants, did not allow the 2 most hard-line nobles (catholics) to leave the meeting between them
- all 3 were thrown out of a window, and survived the 70-foot fall.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg: the origins
Protestants of Bohemia armies?
F V. E P
- they raised armies in support of Frederick V. Elector Palatine, the son in law of James VI and I.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg
Foreign armies becoming involved? Sweden and Denmark?
swedes, danes, france.
- 150,000 swedes and 100,000 danes were fighting for the protestant cause, along with Scotland, the Netherlands, and England.
- 1635: France joined the anti-hapsburg alliance and it became more of a continuation of the rivalry between the french and the habsburgs in Spain and Germany.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg
Famine as a result?
- soldiers took food
- villages and towns had no supplies
- young men and boys were conscripted by both sides
- crop failures and inflaiton also meant fear of witches.
the impact of the thirty years war on bamberg
‘heretics’ who deviated from catholic practices were usually from which groups…
W, DV, H/S, UC.
- women whose sexual behaviour deviated from the expectation by the catholic church. (protestants believed that priests should not necessarily live lives of celibacy)
- people who deviated from the catholic authorities views
- people who had an existing reputation for healing/sorcery
- upper class members
Economic Crises: impact of weather and crop failures
Evidence of trials between 1623-1632 making reference to weather/poor harvests?
LKS, KM
- Lorentz Kempffen Seebauer’s wife in 1629, was accused of suggesting a frost should ruin the fruit harvest
- Katharina Merckhlerin: 1626. Contained the admission that she had been part of a plot to freeze Bamberg’s crops.
Economic Crises: impact of weather and crop failures
debt and increasingly poor weather?
1628/1629, cost of the war, witch hunts.
- witch trials peaked in Bamberg in 1629, also the year the frost destroyed the wine crop
- 1628 is recorded as a year without summer
- 1620s generally cold and wet
- debts from war increased to 800,000 florins by its end, which meant authorities had to levy high taxes
- prince bishops carried out witch hunts to ensure the frost wouldn’t return.
