Studies of Early Modern Christianity in Central Europe
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Edited by:
Angela Ilić
In the early modern period, Central Europe was a dynamic region, interconnected with its neighbors in many ways and characterized by ethnic and religious diversity. In the geographically broadly defined area of contact between north and south-east, west and east Europe, a cultural, ecclesiastical and educational history emerged, as well as a politically recognizably differentiated living environment, which differed from that of the West and is currently the subject of great interest. The series focuses on the contribution of a differentiating Christianity to this process.
The beginnings of the Reformation in Siebenbürgen, an area of settlement relatively far removed from the "core lands" of the Reformation (Saxony, Southwest Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands) and populated by Germans/Hungarians began very early, but encountered significant opposition. This volume paints a picture of the development in light of new sources, drawing out the special features of the Siebenbürgen Reformation.
The study of the early modern era, with a particular focus on the Reformation, has been influenced by the principles of comparative historiography. This has resulted in the introduction of several methodological innovations that have transformed the previously well-established landscape of Reformation studies into a complex field characterised by a plurality of perspectives. This plurality will undoubtedly activate ambiguities, discontinuities and relativity in terms of historical knowledge. It will establish the genuinely entangled character of the research. Interpreting the Reformation as a historical phenomenon in the twenty-first century appears to be the equivalent of a radical renovation and reinvention of research practices, methods, and narratives. Accordingly, under the impact of comparative historiography, the application of transregional perspective rearticulated some of the basic rules of historical reconstruction, thus early modern time and space delineated or sometimes imposed new regions and chronologies on the European Reformation.
This volume offers a selection of the papers given at the Budapest international conference 2023. In general it deals with I. The Reformation as Heritage, II. Periphery versus peripheral, III. the Covert Episodes of The Reformation and IV. The Reformation on Stage – in a wide geographical range, including the Ottoman sphere and its centre.
