| Abstrakt: |
Was the Princely Reformation and its system of territorial church governance originally part of Wittenberg’s master plan? Or did the collapse of the old church open up a situation in which any secular lord could take his chances? This study introduces the lower nobility as a player in the Reformation’s clash of powers. Apart from courts and cities, hundreds of noble families dominated the countryside, where the majority of the German population lived. They had long acquired a dominant position in rural society, and they did not wait for the princes to take action. Based upon rights of church patronage as well as their secular powers as landlords, petty noblemen embraced the Reformation as a chance to increase their influence in the local church. This included the appointment of pastors who would soon become members of the patron’s clientele, the refashioning of medieval benefices and foundations, and even decisions about questions of faith that would be binding for the parishioners. This paper explores some of these long neglected aspects of the Reformation by analysing church ordinances from Kurbrandenburg and case studies from the Elbe valley around Magdeburg. Clearly, the impact of noble church governance represents a new field of research, which can provide us with a deeper understanding of the Rural Reformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
