Heresy and Citizenship: Persecution of Heresy in Late Medieval German Cities

Heresy and Citizenship explores the anti-heretical campaigns in late-medieval cities, revealing how they were exploited in ecclesiastical, political, and social conflicts between cities and their rivals. The persecution of Waldensians, who believed in lay preaching and simplified forms of Christian worship, resulted in tensions between institutions and the assertion of authority. The study also engages with studies of social and political conflict and the role of exclusion in the development of urban governments and ideologies of good citizenship.

Format: Hardback
Length: 186 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Heresy and Citizenship delves into the anti-heretical campaigns that took place in late-medieval cities like Augsburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Strasbourg, and others. By concentrating on the unprecedented period of persecution between 1390 and 1404, this study showcases how the presence of heresy in these cities was exploited in ecclesiastical, political, and social conflicts between the cities and their external rivals, as well as between urban elites.

These anti-heretical campaigns specifically targeted the Waldensians, a group of individuals who believed in lay preaching and simplified forms of Christian worship. Groups of Waldensians were subjected to public penance, execution, or expulsion. In each instance, the course and outcome of the inquisitions reveal tensions between institutions within each city, most often between city councils and local bishops or archbishops. In such cases, competing sides used the persecution of heresy to assert their authority over others. As a result, the persecution of urban Waldensians acquired a meaning beyond mere correction of religious error.

By contextualizing the anti-heretical campaigns within their socio-political and religious framework, Heresy and Citizenship also engages with studies of social and political conflict in late medieval towns. It examines the role that the exclusion of religiously and socially deviant groups played in the development of urban governments, as well as the rise of ideologies of good citizenship and the common good. This study will be of interest to scholars and students specializing in medieval urban and religious history, as well as the history of heresy and its persecution.

Weight: 438g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367415273