Between opposition and collaboration : nobles, bishops, and the German Reformations in the prince-bishopric of Bamberg, 1555-1619 / / by Richard J. Ninness.

• Superior document: Studies in Central European histories, v. 53
• Author: Ninness, Richard J.
• Year of Publication: 2011
• Language: English
• Series: Studies in Central European histories ; v. 53.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (238 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

This study of the Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and its largely Protestant aristocracy demonstrates that shared family ties and traditional privilege could reduce religious based conflict. These findings raise fundamental questions about current interpretations of the Reformation era. Prince-bishops regularly appointed Lutheran nobles to administrative positions, and those Lutheran appointees served their Catholic overlords ably and loyally. Bamberg was a center for social interaction, business transactions, and career opportunities for aristocrats. As these nobles saw it, birthright and kinship ties made them suitable for service in the prince-bishopric. Catholic leaders concurred, confessional differences notwithstanding. This study tells the complicated story of how Lutheran nobles and their Catholic relatives struggled to maintain solidarity and cooperation during an era of religious strife and animosity

Table of Contents

Lay of the land -- The Protestant Reformation and aristocratic control of Bamberg -- The aristocratic church and resistance to reform -- Protestant officials as agents of the Counter-Reformation -- The Counter-Reformation and the alienation of the imperial knights, 1594-1599 -- Confession and the limits of cooperation -- Conclusion : the prince-bishopric of Bamberg and the imperial knights.