Women and the Counter-Reformation in early modern Münster / Simone Laqua-O'Donnell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Laqua, Simone, 1976- author.

Series:

Oxford historical monographs

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Counter-Reformation--Germany--Münster in Westfalen.

Counter-Reformation.

Women--Religious life--Germany--Münster in Westfalen.

Women.

Women--Germany--Münster in Westfalen--Social conditions.

Social conditions.

Women--Religious life.

Women--Social conditions.

Germany--Münster in Westfalen.

Physical Description:

viii, 214 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford, United Kingdom : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

Women and the Counter-Reformation in Early Modern Münster examines how women from different social backgrounds encountered the Counter-Reformation. The focus is on Münster, a city in the north of Germany, which was exposed to powerful Protestant influences which culminated in the notorious Anabaptist kingdom of 1534. After the defeat of the radical Protestants, the city was returned to Catholicism and a stringent programme of reform was enforced. By examining concubinage, piety, marriage, deviance, and convent reform, core issues of the Counter-Reformation's quest for renewal, this fascinating study shows how women participated in the social and religious changes of the time, and how their lives were shaped by the Catholic reforms. Employing research into the political, religious, and social institutions, and using an impressive variety of sources, Simone Laqua-O'Donnell engages with the way women experienced the new religiosity, morality, and discipline that was introduced to the city of Münster during this turbulent time. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 The Reformation of Convent Life 15

Implementing Enclosure in the City 23

Visitations 29

Multiple Identities 33

A New Order in Town 36

2 Female Piety: Women's Relationships with the Living, the Dead, and the Divine 50

Civic Wills and Popular Piety, 1600-1650 52

The Parish Church 60

Memoria and the Dead 67

'The Poor are Always with Us' 70

3 An Ideal Marriage after Trent 76

The Rocky Road to Marriage 82

Married Life 97

'Solutions' 103

4 Deviant Women and the Urban Community 108

Servants 112

Married Women 121

5 A Bishop, his Priests, and their Concubines 134

The Bishop 136

The Clerics 152

The Women 158.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-208) and index.

ISBN:

9780199683314

019968331X

OCLC:

861675281