Cultural History of the Holy Roman Empire: 1648-1806 - Imperial Law, Religion, and Culture

Author: (German) Peter Klaus Hartmann, translated by Liu Xinli et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: This book is based on the independent states and independent denominations in Central Europe, narrating the cultural history of the Holy Roman Empire from 1648 to 1806. It elaborates on 1) the ideal framework for the cultural prosperity and diversity development of the Empire—the legal order of the Empire, including its members and their extensive independence, the governing institutions, population, society, and economy; 2) the favorable conditions for the multicultural development of the Empire—the equal status of the three major denominations (Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism) guaranteed by imperial law and the possibility of cultural development for minority denominations; 3) the religious foundation for the cultural development of the Empire, where differing interpretations of the Bible on the issue of icons became the starting point for the divergence between Catholic and Protestant cultures. It details various aspects of imperial culture: church architecture, art, and music; education, libraries, and literature; popular culture, folk beliefs, customs, and traditions; minority denominational culture; court culture; and the development of the Enlightenment. The "Holy Roman Empire," a loose European empire that existed for about 800 years, was a polytheistic, multi-ethnic and racial, politically diverse, allied but relaxed state formation. Today, it has been reimagined as the precursor to the European Union. From this perspective, the book, upon its publication, was regarded as a foundational work by the local cultural community.