Imperial Villages

Cultures of Political Freedom in the German Lands C. 1300-1800
Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-90-04-34506-5
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 65, 274 Seiten, Format (B × H): 162 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 548 g

Reihe: Studies in Central European Histories

Hundreds of rural communities tasted political freedom in the Holy Roman Empire. For shorter or longer periods, villagers managed local affairs without subjection to territorial overlords. In this first book-length study, Beat Kümin focuses on the five case studies of Gochsheim and Sennfeld (in present-day Bavaria), Sulzbach and Soden (Hesse) and Gersau (Switzerland). Adopting a comparative perspective across the late medieval and early modern periods, the analysis of multiple sources reveals distinct extents of rural self-government, the forging of communalized confessions and an enduring attachment to the empire. Negotiating inner tensions as well as mounting centralization pressures, Reichsdörfer provide privileged insights into rural micro-political cultures while their stories resonate with resurgent desires for greater local autonomy in Europe today.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kümin, Beat

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Deutsche Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Geschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Contents

Preface

Notes on the Text

List of Figures and Acknowledgements

AbbreviationsV

Part 1: Approaches

1 Polities without a Prince: an Introduction

2 Origins, Evolutions and Settings

Part 2: Regimes

3 Domestic Affairs: Co-Operation and Conflict

4 External Relations: Protectors and Predators

5 Religious Life – Heaven and Earth

Part 3: Perspectives

6 Representations and Perceptions

7 Conclusions

Appendix 1: Communities Possessing, Claiming or Attributed Imperial Village Status (Pre-1803)

Appendix 2: Senior Officials and Clergymen in Five Imperial Villages c. 1300–1800

Bibliography

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Beat Kümin obtained his Ph.D. at Cambridge (1993) and a higher doctorate at Bern (2005). He is Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Warwick, U.K. His publications include Drinking Matters (2007) and The European World (3rd edn, 2018).