Cunegonde's kidnapping a story of religious conflict in the age of enlightenment Benjamin J. Kaplan

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kaplan, Benjamin J.

Series:

Lewis Walpole series in eighteenth-century culture and history.

The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catholic Church--Relations--Reformed Church--History--18th century.

Catholic Church.

Interfaith marriage--Netherlands--Vaals (Gemeente)--History--18th century.

Interfaith marriage.

Kidnapping--Netherlands--Vaals (Gemeente)--History--18th century.

Kidnapping.

Reformed Church--Relations--Catholic Church--History--18th century.

Reformed Church.

Local Subjects:

Catholic Church.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (312 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven Yale University Press [2014]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

How a popular religious war erupted on the Dutch-German border, despite the ideals of religious tolerance proclaimed by the Enlightenment In a remote village on the Dutch-German border, a young Catholic woman named Cunegonde tries to kidnap a baby to prevent it from being baptized in a Protestant church. When she is arrested, fellow Catholics stage an armed raid to free her from detention. These dramatic events of 1762 triggered a cycle of violence, starting a kind of religious war in the village and its surrounding region. Contradicting our current understanding, this war erupted at the height of the Age of Enlightenment, famous for its religious toleration. Cunegonde’s Kidnapping tells in vivid detail the story of this hitherto unknown conflict. Drawing characters, scenes, and dialogue straight from a body of exceptional primary sources, it is the first microhistorical study of religious conflict and toleration in early modern Europe. In it, award-winning historian Benjamin J. Kaplan explores the dilemmas of interfaith marriage and the special character of religious life in a borderland, where religious dissenters enjoy unique freedoms. He also challenges assumptions about the impact of Enlightenment thought and suggests that, on a popular level, some parts of eighteenth-century Europe may not have witnessed a “rise of toleration.”

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Cast of Main Characters

Introduction

One. Between Them Sleeps the Devil

Two. Baptism Is Baptism

Three. On This Soil

Four. Flouting Authority

Five. Beggar Dogs

Six. Reprisals

Seven. A Moral Certainty?

Eight. Their High and Mighty Lordships

Nine. Afterlives

Conclusion

Notes

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-18997-4

OCLC:

892579365