Between Opposition and Collaboration Studies in Central European Histories
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Between Opposition and Collaboration Studies in Central European Histories Edited by Thomas A. Brady, Jr., University of California, Berkeley Roger Chickering, Georgetown University Editorial Board Steven Beller, Washington, D.C. Atina Grossmann, Cooper Union Peter Hayes, Northwestern University Susan Karant-Nunn, University of Arizona Mary Lindemann, University of Miami David M. Luebke, University of Oregon H.C. Erik Midelfort, University of Virginia David Sabean, University of California, Los Angeles Jonathan Sperber, University of Missouri Jan de Vries, University of California, Berkeley VOLUME LIII The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/sceh. Between Opposition and Collaboration Nobles, Bishops, and the German Reformations in the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, 1555–1619 By Richard J. Ninness LEIDEN • BOSTON LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 Cover illustration: Based on the coat of arms in the background next to Bamberg’s lion, the prince-bishop sitting on the throne is Neithard von Thüngen from Staatsarchiv Bamberg, B 76/XX, no. 1. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ninness, Richard J. Between opposition and collaboration : nobles, bishops, and the German Reformations in the prince-bishopric of Bamberg, 1555-1619 / by Richard J. Ninness. p. cm. -- (Studies in Central European histories, ISSN 1547-1217 ; v. 53) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 978-90-04-20154-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Bamberg (Ecclesiastical principality)-- Church history. 2. Reformation--Germany--Bamberg (Ecclesiastical principality) 3. Counter-Reformation--Germany--Bamberg (Ecclesiastical principality) 4. Church and state--Germany--Bamberg (Ecclesiastical principality)--History. 5. Knights and knighthood-- Germany--Bamberg (Ecclesiastical principality)--History. I. Title. BR857.B33N56 2011 274.3’31806--dc23 2011026101 ISSN 1547-1217 ISBN 978 90 04 20154 5 Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. Th e Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Rest of Franconia (translated and modifi ed by John McCabe and the author). Bayerischer Geschichtsatlas, ed. Max Spindler, 25. Munich: Bayerischer Schulbuch-Verlag, 1969. Cantons of the Franconian Imperial Knights (translated and modified by John McCabe and the author). Bauer, Christoph. “Reichsritterschaft in Franken.” Vol. 4 in Die Territorien des Reichs im Zeitalter der Reformation und Konfessionalisierung: Land und Konfession, 1500–1650, ed. Anton Schindling and Walter Ziegler, 201. Münster: Aschendorff, 1992. To Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness and Thomas Max Safley Contents Acknowledgment ........................................................................................xi Abbreviations ............................................................................................xiii Introduction .................................................................................................1 I. Lay of the Land ...................................................................................19 II. The Protestant Reformation and Aristocratic Control of Bamberg .........................................................................................44 III. The Aristocratic Church and Resistance to Reform ......................73 IV. Protestant Officials as Agents of the Counter-Reformation .......106 V. The Counter-Reformation and the Alienation of the Imperial Knights, 1594–1599 .........................................................136 VI. Confession and the Limits of Cooperation ..................................163 Conclusion The Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg and the Imperial Knights ..............................................................................194 Bibliography .............................................................................................205 Index .........................................................................................................217 ACknowledgment The writing of this book has been a marvelous journey. I want to thank Gustav Seligmann and Ralph Mathisen for inspiring me to be a historian. When I was a master’s student in medieval history at the Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Franz Machilek, as professor and director of the Staatsarchiv Bamberg, introduced me to the fascinating world of Franconia and the unusual structures that made the existence of imperial knights possible. I also want to thank Professor Bernd Schneidmüller, who guided me in my first effort to research Franconia through a master’s thesis on Forchheim, and the late Werner Feil, who asked for my help with his work on Fürth am Berg, which introduced me to the Würtzburg family. At the University of Pennsylvania, I was fortunate to have Professor Thomas Max Safley as my advisor. He helped me to adjust to the American academy, trained me to be an early modernist, and patiently read multiple drafts of my dissertation and advised me on my book. His insightful criticism and high standards have made me the scholar that I am. Along with my wife, Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness, I dedicate this book to him. In addition to Tom Safley, I had the good fortune to work with Edward Peters, Daniel Richter, and Michael Zuckerman in Penn’s History Department. They influenced this book through their earlier advice and help on the dissertation. In the writing of the book, more people in the United States and in Germany assisted me than I can name. Most of my research was done in the Staatsarchiv Bamberg. The personnel of the Staatsarchiv Bamberg made it a pleasure to go to the archive every day. Not only was the archive a pleasant environment to work in, but the archivist, Dr. Klaus Rupprecht, and his work on the imperial knights continue to influence me today. I am also thankful to the personnel of the other archives in Germany, particularly the Staatsarchiv Nürnberg and Staatsarchiv Würzburg, for their assistance. I would especially like to thank Alexander Jendorff, David Luebke, Anton Schindling, Victor Thiessen, Peter Wallace, Gerrit Walther, and Wolfgang Wüst for their interest in the project and their advice. Kevin Nibbe read multiple drafts of the manuscript. Burning the midnight oil with him discussing the book was one of the joys of writing it. John McCabe deserves special thanks xii acknowledgment for his work on the maps. I spent several summers (2005–2007) at the Institut für Europäische Geschichte in Mainz. I would like to thank Professor Rolf Decot, Professor Irene Dingel, and Professor Markus Wriedt of the Institut for their comments, which greatly aided the writing of the book. Brill accepted this book into its Studies in Central European Histories series. Working on the final stages of the book with the editor, Professor Thomas A. Brady, has been a high point of my intellectual life. This book has greatly benefitted from his breadth of knowledge and insights. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the History Department at Touro College for their support, especially Zvi kaplan and Theodore Lauer. At Touro, Zvi and karen Sutton inspired me by writing their own books while continuing to be committed teachers and carrying out all sorts of other university business with good cheer. The completion of the book would never have been possible without the patience of my wife, Stella Gevorgyan-Ninness. With her skeptical good nature, she loved and helped me through the whole process. I would also like to thank my sons and little Raubritter, Richard Liparit and Joseph Zaven, whose presence filled me with joy and reminded me that there was more to life than my book. Abbreviations AEB Archiv des Erzbistums Bamberg (formerly Erzbischöfliches Ordinariatsarchiv) BHVB Berichte des Historschen Vereins Bamberg GLA Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe fol. folio HZ Historische Zeitschrift JFL Jahrbuch für fränkische Landesforschung Jh. Jahrhundert MEA-RTA Mainzer Erzkanzlerarchiv Reichstagsakten, Haus, Hof- und Staatsarchiv Vienna Rep. Repertorium StAB Staatsarchiv Bamberg StAN Staatsarchiv Nürnberg StAW Staatsarchiv Würzburg ZHF Zeitschrift für historische Forschung ZRG KA Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, Kanonistische Abteilung INTRODUCTION The Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg was a territorial state in Franconia, one of the most politically fragmented regions of the Holy Roman Empire. Lying between Protestant Saxony in the north and Catholic Bavaria in the south, Franconia was also confessionally mixed. Bamberg played a pivotal role in maintaining what was left of Catholicism in the region. But Bamberg had a group of Protestant nobles who remained involved in its affairs. Beyond using Bamberg as a center for social interaction and busi- ness transactions, Lutheran noblemen demanded offices in the prince- bishopric, as was the time-honored tradition for their families. Ironically, in the late sixteenth century some Protestant