I: Introduction: Narratives of Early Modern German History
II. Germany and the Holy Roman Empire in 1500
1: Origins and Frontiers
2: The Reich as a Polity
3: Fragmented Territories
4: The Reich and the German Nation
III. The Reform of the Reich and the Church c. 1490-1519
1: The Reformation Era in German history
2: The Reich under Maximilian I
3: Reich, Papacy, and Reichskirche
4: Religious Renewal and the Laity
5: Humanism in the Reich
6: The 'Print Revolution' and the Public Sphere
7: Economic Landscapes, Communities, and their Grievances
8: Martin Luther and the 'Luther affair' 1517-19
IV. Charles V and the Challenge of the Reformation in the 1520s
1: The Reich During the First Decade of Charles V
2: Luther and Imperial Politics, 1519-1526
3: Luther and the German Reform Movement
4: Alternative Reformations and the Dominance of Lutheranism
5: The Knights' War, 1522-23
6: The Peasants' War 1525
7: Reformation in the Cities
V. Mastering the Reformation c. 1526-1555
1: The Emergence of Protestant Territories
2: The Persistence of Catholicism
3: Charles V, Ferdinand, and the Reich in Europe
4: The Establishment of Protestantism, 1526-1530
5: The Schmalkaldic League, its Counterparts and the Politics of
the Reich, 1530-1541
6: Charles V as 'Lord of Germany', 1541-58
7: The Triumph of the Reich, 1548-1555
VI. Managing the Peace 1555-1618
1: Contours of the 'Confessional Age'
2: Emperors, Imperial Officials, and Estates after the Peace of
Augsburg
3: Constitutional developments after 1555: Reichstag, Kreise,
Courts, and Legislation
4: The Reich in Europe
5: Managing the Domestic Peace, 1555-c.1585
6: The Consensus Falters, c. 1585-1603
7: Paralysis, 1603-1614
8: Problems of the Habsburg Dynasty
9: The Reich in the Reign of Emperor Matthias, 1612-19
10: The Crisis of the Habsburg lands
VII. The German Territories and Cities after 1555
1: Problems of Interpretation
2: A Benign Environment?
3: State Formation?
4: Domestic Order and Defence
5: Confessionalisation?
6: Finance, Taxation, and Estates
7: The Resurgence of the Courts
8: Imperial Cities
9: Responding to Crises
VIII. The Thirty Years War 1618-1648
1: The Thirty Years War in German History
2: What Kind of Conflict?
3: The Reconquest of Austria and Bohemia, 1618-1623
4: Ferdinand Victorious
5: Denmark and the War for the Reich, 1623-29
6: What Kind of Reich? Sweden and the Defence of German Liberties,
1630-35
7: Wallenstein and After
8: France, Sweden, and the German Way, 1635-48
9: The Peace of Westphalia
10: The Impact of the War on German Society
11: The Thirty Years War and the German Polity
Glossary
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Joachim Whaley read History at Christ's College Cambridge. He held
Fellowships in History at Christ's College and Robinson College
before becoming a Lecturer in German in the Faculty of Modern and
Medieval Languages at Cambridge, where he teaches German history,
thought, and language. He is the author of Religious Toleration and
Social Change in Hamburg 1529-1819 and of numerous articles on
early modern and modern German history. He was elected a Fellow
of the Royal Historical Society in 1984, and Fellow of the British
Academy in 2015.
scholars ... will concur in their debt to Whaley's magnum opus ...
[it] stands apart as the most authoritative account of the early
modern empire
*C. Ingrao, CHOICE*
...a monumental history of the Holy Roman Empire.which far
surpasses everything that has been written about the subject to
date. German history between the Reformation and Napoleon has never
been written in such a lively, multi-facetted, source-based, and
coherent manner. a history that embraces the whole of [German]
culture, religion, economy and society.
*Süddeutsche Zeitung*
Whaley sees the Reich as a continually reforming, diverse but
legally ordered polity, rather than some kind of bizarre
monstrosity or collective fiction. His two volumes are
exceptionally well written and highly nuanced and reflect the
latest scholarship. Indeed, they represent a huge personal
achievementthey will provide a standard of scholarship against
which all future works will be measured.
*Alan Sked Reviews in History*
... its complexity and sophistication ...[the] stupendous breadth
and depth of Whaley's knowledge. The two volumes are full of
incisive chapters on topics as diverse as economic policies,
religious reform movements, court culture ... skilfully crafted and
engrossing narrative...
*Michael Schaich, Times Literary Supplement*
superb and authoritative study.
*Peter Oborne, Daily Telegraph*
Whaley's account is one of the best works on early modern German
history. From the first page to the last, it shows how German
history can be presented as both a history of Emperor and Empire,
and a history of common culture. It will immediately establish
itself as a standard guide to its subject.
*Georg Schmidt, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena*
Overall brilliantly successful ... a detailed account of two
hundred years of German history ... In a thousand details the
monograph is more knowledgeable that other English-language
accounts of German history ... and in numerous respects it is more
knowledgeable than many a German handbook ... Whaley demonstrates a
stupendous knowledge of German history. The reviewer believes this
book is the most important English-language work on pre-modern
German history for at least two decades.
*Axel Gotthard, Sehepunkte*
An enterprise of this magnitude requires a steady hand on the
tiller, as the author steers between the rocks of historiographical
controversy and the shoals of submerged detail Whaley accomplishes
his argosy with poise and style. These two volumes, which will
undoubtedly become a first point of reference, are a remarkable
achievement of which the author should feel justly proud.
*Tom Scott, English Historical Review*
the most comprehensive survey of Germany's early modern history
ever undertaken, the first book of its kind since the 1950s, and
one of the most substantial works of historical scholarship
published in the UK in 2011.
*Research Horizons, University of Cambridge*
essential reading
*Edward Bradbury, Contemporary Review*
His work, though different in emphasis and organisation, stands
equal with the major German speaking syntheses today existing such
as by Horst Rabe, Karl Otmar von Aretin, Heinz Schilling, or Georg
Schmidt. His detailed knowledge of the vast relevant research
literature, in German or in any other language, on topics ranging
from the later fifteenth to the early nineteenth century is
breath-taking. As such, this work is a must-read for all students
of Early Modern Germany unless they work on specific issues of
social and demographic history. The superior quality of Whaley's
synthesis is beyond question. This is a masterpiece that demands
close attention and respect.
*Robert von Friedeburg, H-Soz-u-Kult online*
an account whose methodological reflection, thematic range, and
wealth of detail are unparalleled... these two volumes will quickly
become standard works... their particular form, combining sections
on historiography and methodology, structural history and the
history of events, has no counterpart in the German-language
historiography.
*Stefan Ehrenpreis, German Historical Institute London
Bulletin*
...successfully combines an experts love of detail with a clear
view of the large picture...[It] can be recommended without
hesitation as a valuable handbook for history teachers, students
and journalists... [and] anyone interested in the
historical-political development of Germany in Europe.
*Willi Eisele, AHF-Information*
a work of impressive scholarship and considerable erudition ...
These two volumes put the Empire firmly back into German history.
They provide a richly detailed, judiciously balanced discussion of
the last three centuries of the Empires existence ... Whaleys
history is a must for anyone with a serious interest in early
modern Germany.
*Peter Wilson, Central European History*
A full and fresh assessment of more than three hundred years of
German history ... the best political and institutional history of
the Reich in any language ... Whaley seems to have read and
digested everything. For this astonishing achievement alone one
must be grateful ... As a general treatment of three centuries of
legal and institutional history Whaley's volume will stand as a
monument of erudite revisionism that, within its self-imposed
limits, could hardly be improved.
*H. C. Erik Midelfort, The Sixteenth Century Journal Vol. XLIII No.
4 (2012), pp. 1225-7.*
Joachim Whaley's magnificent new two-volume study ... sets out
precisely wherein the Old Reichs distinctive character lay and
enables us to appreciate the reasons why it held the loyalties of
so many for so long ... The whole is presented with admirable
lucidity, free of jargon ... Whaley's monumental and magisterial
study will assuredly quickly become and deservedly long remain a
standard authoritative handbook for anyone concerned with the
subject.
*John L Flood, The Modern Language Review*
Joachim Whaley's magnificent book gives readers the best, most
persuasive available account in any language of the revisionist
case. He turns the old view on its head ... He displays a
remarkably wide-ranging knowledge of German culture during the
three centuries covered by his book ... This is a bracing book of
ideas and arguments, sustained over 125 chapters and almost 1,500
pages. It is both scholarly and very readable.
*David Blackbourn, Common Knowledge*
This monumental study ... rests on an impressive body of knowledge,
not least on knowledge of the secondary literature ... the
extraordinary readability of the two volumes ... makes this text an
enjoyable read for specialists, students and enthusiasts from many
different fields.
*Laura Anna Macor, Historia Philosophica [translation]*
Whaley negotiates a vast bibliography, which includes the history
of institutions, to offer an excellent tool that is both a compass
for orienting oneself among the various issues and itself a
starting point.
*Michaela Valente, Archivio Storico Italiana*
One of the most impressive and helpful scholarly monographs of
2012... In this landmark study, Whaley provides a historical
overview in which he evaluates narratives and interpretations, that
are revealing about the thinking of the period but also in view of
some modern views and theories. Chapter by chapter, he tests the
validity of perceptions and the sense of identity Germans began to
develop in the 16th century not least in opposition to wider
European aspirations and claims. By questioning patterns of
established thought Whaley manages time and again to add new
insights to the interface of subject areas such as theology,
politics, the economy and social issues... His study will be as
useful to the established scholar as it is to the novice seeking to
understand the influences and concerns that shaped
the...Empire.
*Ulrike Zitzlsperger, The Years Work in Modern Language Studies,
lxxiv (2014)*
These two-volumes ... are the fruit of long and thorough research
and stand out for their many hundreds of pages of reader-friendly
freshness. The external perspective of British scholarship has
succeeded in producing a standard work on both German and European
history.
*Prof. Dr. Bernd Schneidmüller, University of Heidelberg
[translation]*
Joachim Whaley crowns a long generations work of demystifying the
empires history with these two large, learned, and impressive
volumes.
*The Journal of Modern History*
Whaleys two volumes mark an immense accomplishment and should be
read by any scholar working on the early modern Empire or early
modern politics in general. They represent the most comprehensive
history of the Empire available in English and are sure to generate
debate for decades to come.
*Christopher Close, Archiv für Reformationsgeschichte 2013
literature*
Whaley's two volumes mark an immense accomplishment and should be
read by any scholar working on the early modern Empire or early
modern politics in general. They represent the most comprehensive
history of the Empire available in English and are sure to
genereate debate for decades to come.
*Archiv fuer Reformationsgeschichte*
a massive and exceptionally successful project that offers a
comprehensive view of the Holy Roman Empire ... From the point of
view of Austrian history, the author is constantly concerned to
reflect critically on the relationship of the [Habsburgs'] German
hereditary lands, as well as Hungary and Bohemia to the Empire. The
volume is encyclopaedic in scope ... the author demonstrates great
breadth and expertise in pursuing his themes of political,
cultural, constitutional and social history ... In view of its
balanced approach and profundity the volume will occupy an
unchallenged place in the libraries of scholars next to the work of
Aretin and the major handbooks of German and European history ...
This work is also exceptionally well written and it represents an
awesome achievement on the part of the author
*Martin Scheutz, Mitteilingen des Instituts für Österreichische
Geschichtsforschung 2014 [translation]*
a recognised authority in the field stupendous and enviable
knowledge of the scholarly literature [offers] a counterpoint to
the decline narratives [of the empire] that still dominate [German
historiography]
*Gabriele Haug-Moritz, Zeitschrift fuer Historische Forschung*
There is no similar comprehensive and multi-perspectival account
[of early modern German history] ... the publication of these
volumes is an event for German historians too ... With its
encyclopaedic aspiration, the mass of information he offers
concerning political, legal, religious-intellectual,
administrative, educational and economic developments, as well as
the numerous perceptive judgements which correct previous research,
Whaley has produced a standard work on the history of the early
modern Old Reich, which stands on its own in the international
scholarship on this subject ... He has produced a thoroughly
scholarly and intelligent work that combines a wealth of
information with an ability to formulate original arguments and
revise received scholarly opinions.
*Christoph Kampmann, Historische Zeitschrift*
These two volumes offer an historical survey of roughly three
centuries such as I have never before encountered. Joachim Whaley
has produced a masterpiece. He has not overlooked anything at all.
The two volumes are perfectly researched and the price ... is more
than reasonable. Anyone interested in modern history and in
particular the history of Germany must read this work.
*Fachbuchkritik [review of German edition]*
a pleasure to read ... Whaley shows how the efforts to create an
intellectual and political framework in the pre-constitutional era
had lasting effects to the present.
*Joachim Frank, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger [review of German
edition]*
a great achievement that he has introduced the English-speaking
public to German history before the twentieth century in such a
comprehensive manner and that he shows so decisively how the old
national narrative has been revised. The sheer volume of the
material that he employs also commands respect.
*Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung [review
of German edition]*
The new standard work on the period in which people still spoke of
"German liberties".
*Jens Jessen, Die Zeit [review of German edition]*
Joachim Whaley's two volumes on the Holy Roman Empire constitute
what is undoubtedly the best work on the topic currently available
on the European market ... Whaley surpasses all [others] ... He
thus overcomes the prevalent tendency of writing the history of the
Empire in separate political, constitutional, religious and
economic terms ... he displays an astonishing eye for detail ... No
other piece of scholarship can match the attention to detail paid
to such a wide variety of different aspects of the history of the
Holy Roman Empire as can be found in Whaley's magnum opus. Whaley
stands out, as his predecessors in writing the history of the
Empire had primarily concentrated on political history alone.
*Michael North, German History*
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