Introductory description

The Reformation triggered the single most significant set of transformations in early modern Europe. Religion and confessional allegiance shaped the social, economic and political culture of the Continent for centuries to come. The protagonist of the German Reformation, Martin Luther, is universally recognised as one of the outstanding historical figures of all times.
'Germany in the Age of the Reformation' allows in-depth engagement with one of the prominent issues raised in the early modern core module students take in Year 1. It prepares them for more advanced early modern options in the third year and assumes no knowledge of other languages (although German materials are available).
At the close of the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Empire experienced an age of unrest. Luther's new doctrines provided the catalyst for fundamental changes.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The political landscape of the Holy Roman Empire
Socio-economic and cultural life in the late Middle Ages
The late medieval Church
Church challenges and critics
Martin Luther - a restless monk
[Reading Week]
Reformation doctrines
Lutheran liturgy and rituals
Dissemination of Reformation ideas
Doctrinal divisions
Workshop: Reformation writing - trends & resources
Rural Reformation
Radical Reformation
Urban Reformation
Gender roles
The Princes' Reformation and their Clergy
Protestantism and other faiths
Imperial Politics
Long-term effects

Revision

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• a) the further development of study, writing, presentation and communication skills, including the use of visual sources and web-based materials;
• b) greater understanding of the importance of religion in early modern society and the socio-cultural impact of confessional change;
• c) the ability, through writing a 3000-word essay, of presenting a sustained argument backed by precise and well-chosen evidence drawn from appropriate sources and secondary literature;
• d) developing critical analytical skills through the assessment of historical approaches often at variance with one another (particularly by participating in debates and writing a book review);
• e) enhanced awareness of the contributions of different historical sub-disciplines – ecclesiastical history, anthropology / sociology of religion, gender history, and others – to an understanding of the Reformation.

Indicative reading list

Primary sources
‘German History in Documents and Images’ [online source collection]
Luther’s Works (55 vols, 1955-)
T. Scott & R. Scribner eds, The Peasants’ War: A History in Documents (1991)

Secondary works
D. Bagchi, 'Germany', in: A. Ryrie (ed.), Palgrave Advances in the European Reformations (2005)
Th. Brady, German Histories in the Age of Reformations, 1400-1650 (2009)
A. N. Burnett and E. Campi (eds), A Companion to the Swiss Reformation (2016)
E. Cameron, The European Reformation (1991) [recommended for the general European context]
J. Dewald (ed.), Europe 1450-1789: Encyclopaedia of the Early Modern World (2004)
H. J. Cohn, 'The Long Reformation: Lutheran', in: B. Kümin (ed.), The European World (3rd edn, 2018) [a concise introduction]
C. S. Dixon (ed.), The German Reformation: Essential Readings (1999)
Scott Dixon, The Reformation in Germany (2002) [strongly recommended textbook purchase]
" , Protestants: A History from Wittenberg to Philadelphia 1517-1740 (2009)
" , Contesting the Reformation (Oxford, 2012) [a helpful survey of scholarly debates on the Reformation]
S. Ehrenpreis; U. Lotz-Heumann, Reformation und konfessionelles Zeitalter (2002)
M. Greengrass, The Longman Companion to the European Reformation (1998)
H. J. Hillerbrand (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Reformation, 4 vols (1996)
M. Hughes, Early Modern Germany, 1477-1806 (1992)
C. Lindberg, The European Reformations (1996)
" , Reformation Theologians (2002)
R. D. Linder, The Reformation Era (2007)
P. Matheson (ed.), Reformation Christianity (2007)
New Cambridge Modern History, vol. XIV, Atlas, 118-26
S. Ozment, A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People (2005)
A. Pettegree (ed.), The Early Reformation in Europe (1992)
" (ed.), The Reformation World (2000)
" , Reformation and the Culture of Persuasion (2005)
R. Po-Chia Hsia (ed.), The German People and the Reformation (1988)
" , A Companion to the Reformation World(2003)
U. Rublack, Reformation Europe (2005)
" (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Protestant Reformations (Oxford, 2016)
L. Scales and J. Whaley (eds), 'Rewriting the History of the Holy Roman Empire' [Special Issue], German History 36 (3/2018), 331-414 (includes an editorial introduction: 331-48)
T. Scott, The Early Reformation in Germany: Between Secular Impact and Radical Vision (2013)
R. W. Scribner, The German Reformation (1986) [2nd edn, ed. C. Scott Dixon, 2000]
" et al. (eds), The Reformation in National Context (1994)
J. Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, vol. I: Maximilian I to the Peace of Westphalia 1493-1648 (2012)

Subject specific skills

a) greater understanding of the importance of religion in early modern society and the socio-cultural impact of confessional change;
b) enhanced awareness of the contributions of different historical sub-disciplines to an understanding of the Reformation.

Transferable skills

a) the further development of study, writing, presentation and communication skills, including the use of visual sources and web-based materials;
b) the ability, through writing a 3000-word essay, of presenting a sustained argument backed by precise and well-chosen evidence drawn from appropriate sources and secondary literature;
c) developing critical analytical skills through the assessment of historical approaches often at variance with one another;